Mark Alison asked:
The FCRA, or “Fair Credit Reporting Act” entitles you to a free copy of your credit report from each of the three credit reporting agencies – TransUnion, Experian, and Equifax – once each year.
Consumers in the US used to have to pay for access to their own credit information. With the passage of the fair credit reporting act, everyone is now entitled to see their credit report every year. In the past, you would have had to pay for this information, unless you had applied for credit.
Despite the fact that all consumers are now entitled to this information, there are many companies that will try to trick consumers into paying anyway. Be wary of anyone telling you that you have to sign up, use a credit card, or pay even a nominal amount.
To get the free government credit report, you must go to the website set up specifically for that. The Reporting bureaus and government have partnered in putting together called “annualcreditreport.com” where you can order this information.
Keep in mind that this will not tell you what your credit score is. Credit reports and scores are not the same things, and your score can vary depending on how it’s calculated. You should also realize that these aren’t actually government credit reports – the government doesn’t keep that information on consumers, only private companies collect and report on it.
In order to get your reports, you’ll have to be able to provide your name, address, Social Security number, and date of birth. In addition, you will have to give whatever prior addresses you’ve had from the past few years. Lastly, you’ll be asked to provide something to disclose information that only you would know, such as an amount of a given payment. This is done as an added security measure to insure that no one but you can access your confidential info.
it can take anywhere from a few weeks to a month or more your reports. Since you are entitled one credit report from each of the three reporting bureaus only once per year, when trying to repair your scores, use the information from the first one, give it some time, then order the second report to see whether your scores have improved. Use that one to further work on your credit scores, and after a period of time order the third or last report. This allows you to see whether you’ve had any success fixing your credit without having to pay unnecessarily.
Take advantage of the FCRA and order your free credit report, understand how to read them, and how they affect your credit scores. This is absolutely essential to building up your credit rating and scores, and building a solid financial foundation for yourself both now and in the future. Not spending money on something you can get for free can be your first lesson on your way to financial responsibility and freedom!
Lee
The FCRA, or “Fair Credit Reporting Act” entitles you to a free copy of your credit report from each of the three credit reporting agencies – TransUnion, Experian, and Equifax – once each year.
Consumers in the US used to have to pay for access to their own credit information. With the passage of the fair credit reporting act, everyone is now entitled to see their credit report every year. In the past, you would have had to pay for this information, unless you had applied for credit.
Despite the fact that all consumers are now entitled to this information, there are many companies that will try to trick consumers into paying anyway. Be wary of anyone telling you that you have to sign up, use a credit card, or pay even a nominal amount.
To get the free government credit report, you must go to the website set up specifically for that. The Reporting bureaus and government have partnered in putting together called “annualcreditreport.com” where you can order this information.
Keep in mind that this will not tell you what your credit score is. Credit reports and scores are not the same things, and your score can vary depending on how it’s calculated. You should also realize that these aren’t actually government credit reports – the government doesn’t keep that information on consumers, only private companies collect and report on it.
In order to get your reports, you’ll have to be able to provide your name, address, Social Security number, and date of birth. In addition, you will have to give whatever prior addresses you’ve had from the past few years. Lastly, you’ll be asked to provide something to disclose information that only you would know, such as an amount of a given payment. This is done as an added security measure to insure that no one but you can access your confidential info.
it can take anywhere from a few weeks to a month or more your reports. Since you are entitled one credit report from each of the three reporting bureaus only once per year, when trying to repair your scores, use the information from the first one, give it some time, then order the second report to see whether your scores have improved. Use that one to further work on your credit scores, and after a period of time order the third or last report. This allows you to see whether you’ve had any success fixing your credit without having to pay unnecessarily.
Take advantage of the FCRA and order your free credit report, understand how to read them, and how they affect your credit scores. This is absolutely essential to building up your credit rating and scores, and building a solid financial foundation for yourself both now and in the future. Not spending money on something you can get for free can be your first lesson on your way to financial responsibility and freedom!
Lee
