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Your credit report can affect more areas of your life than just your
ability to get a loan or credit card. Businesses can use the information
contained in your credit report to evaluate your application for credit,
insurance or employment. Free Credit Report Access?
How much does a credit report cost?
Credit reports can contain information on your employment, your residence
and your bill payment habits. Also, they may show whether you have been
sued or arrested or have filed for bankruptcy. It can also be used as
a monitoring tool for ID Theft, something which has become a real problem
these days. To read more about ID
Theft, click here.
Maintaining a good credit history is important and requires just a little
bit of work. The first step to maintaining a good credit history is to
review your credit report regularly for inaccuracies or omissions. For
information on Consumer Credit Counseling Services, see
below.
A recent amendment to the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) requires
each of the nationwide consumer reporting companies to provide you with
a free copy of your credit report, at your request, once every 12 months.
The FCRA promotes the accuracy and privacy of information in the files
of the nation’s consumer reporting companies. The Federal Trade
Commission (FTC), the nation’s consumer protection agency, enforces
the FCRA with respect to consumer reporting companies. Click
Here to visit the Federal Trade Commission's Facts for Consumers and
read more about it, or visit www.annualcreditreport.com.
To order a copy of your credit report, please click on one of the credit
reporting agencies listed below:
Equifax
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T o order a credit report go to: www.equifax.com,
call 1-800-685-1111, or write:
P.O. Box 740241
Atlanta, GA 30374-0241
To report fraud call: 800-525-6285 and write to the above
address.
Hearing impaired: call 800-255-0056 and ask the operator to call the Auto
Disclosure Line at 800-685-1111 to request a copy of your report.
Experian
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To order a credit report, go to: www.experian.com,
call 1-888-397-3742, or write:
P.O. Box 2002
Allen, TX 75013
To report fraud, call: 888-EXPERIAN
(397-3742) and write:
P.O. Box 9530
Allen, TX 75013
TDD: 800-972-0322
Trans
Union -
To order a credit report, go to: www.transunion.com,
call 1-800-916-8800, or write:
P.O. Box 1000
Chester, PA 19022
To report fraud, call 800-680-7289
and write: Fraud Victim Assistance Division,
P.O. Box 6790, Fullerton, CA 92634
TDD: 877-553-7803
You also have the right to prohibit information in your consumer file
with any consumer reporting agency from being used in connection with
any credit or insurance transaction that you have not initiated (such
as preapproval offers). To exercise this right, call 1-888-5OPT-OUT or
1-888-567-8688, or write to:
Experian Information Solutions, Inc.
PO Box 919
Allen, TX 75013
Equifax, Options
PO Box 740123
Atlanta, GA 30394-0123
Trans Union Corporation
Attn: Marketing Opt Out
PO Box 97328
Jackson, MS 39288-7328
(see above)
Each credit bureau may charge up to $9.00 for a copy of your report. However,
you are entitled to one free report a year if you can show that: your
report is inaccurate because of fraud; your're on welfare; or you're unemployed
and plan to look for a job within 60 days. There also is no charge is
a company has taken adverse action against you, such as denying your application
for credit, insurance or employment, and you request your report within
60 days of receiving the notice of the adverse action.
Certain states also have passed legislation which entitle you to a free
report or a report at a reduced rate. If you live in Maryland, for instance,
your first report is FREE and an additional report is $5.00.
For more information on credit reports, contact the Federal Trade Commission
(FTC) at 202-FTC-HELP (202-382-4357) or visit their Web site at www.ftc.gov.
The Consumer Credit Counseling Services of the Washington
DC Area have information available through their website at www.cccswdc.org
or 800-747-4222. For the Maryland and Delaware area, the Consumer Credit
Counseling Service of Maryland and Delaware, Inc. has information available
on their website at www.cccs-inc.org
or 1-800-642-2227.
For more information on saving or some useful financial tools, visit
the Choose to Save education program at www.choosetosave.org.
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