http://www.annualcreditreport.com or by calling toll-free 1-877-322-8228.
You can also ask for your free credit report via mail by sending a written request to:
Annual Credit Report Request Service
P.O. Box 105281
Atlanta, GA 30348-5281
Here are the details for contacting each of the major credit reporting agencies individually:
Equifax Credit Information Services, Inc
Address: P.O. Box 740241
Atlanta, GA 30374
Telephone: 888-766-0008
Online: http://www.equifax.com
TransUnion LLC Consumer Disclosure Center
Address: P.O. Box 1000
Chester, PA 19022
Telephone: 1-800-888-4213
Online: http://www.transunion.com
Experian National Consumer Assistance Center
Address: PO Box 2002
Allen, TX 75013
Telephone: 1-888-397-3742
Online: http://www.experian.com
When you request your credit report, I recommend that instead of getting a combined credit report also called a three-in-one that you order each report individually.
This is important because one may all have all complete and accurate information and another one may not, so you must look at them individually and then compare the information they each contain about the same accounts.
You also might want to invest in getting your FICO score as well which does not come as part of the complimentary credit report. The price of a credit score is between $8.95 and $15.95
If you get just your report, you will not be able to follow the formulas used to arrive at your score and the report itself will not make as much financial sense to you if you don’t have your score in front of you.
Since it is advisable that you keep a close watch on your credit report, especially when you are working towards increasing your credit score, deleting erroneous information, guarding your account against identity theft and fraud, and ensuring that only accurate information is reported you should make it a practice to access your credit report and credit score quarterly by visiting:
http://www.nextlevellifestyle.com/fico
Bright Score is also great, low-cost resource that offers you a copy of your credit report, an analysis of your credit situation (with suggestions on how to improve it) and your credit score all for just $19.95.
Get the details at: http://www.nextlevellifestyle.com/brightscore
Now, when you do get your credit report you will notice that it contains lots of information about you, including:
Your personal and contact information
This will include your name and your address, as well as your past several addresses, your social security number, your employers (past and present) and your birth date. It could also note your marriage status as well as your spouse’s name.
Your personal information about credit.
A credit report notes all the details of your loans, including the types of loans you have now and have recently had, the dates these loans were opened, the credit limit on each loan, how well you have been repaying those loans (this is important - skipped or late payments count heavily against you in your credit score), and details about current and past lenders.
Information about you that is on the public record.
This may include bankruptcies, unpaid taxes, unpaid child support, tax liens, your dealings with collection agencies, foreclosures, loan defaults, civil lawsuits that you have been involved in, and other information. Much of this information will appear on your credit report and will seriously affect your credit score.
Information about who has looked at your credit report and credit score.
Every time someone looks at your credit score it is called an “inquiry.” Your credit report lists who has looked at your credit report in the past two years and how often you have applied for loans and credit in that period of time. Too many inquiries tend to look bad and could negatively affect your credit score. Credit card applications, bank loans, buying or refinancing a home all count as inquiries.
Review your credit report carefully because it is important that you look at all parts of your credit report and understand what you are reading. Mistakes in any area of your credit report can negatively affect your score, so be sure to check the entire report for inaccuracies and errors.
If you find things on your report you’ll need to submit a dispute letter which is provide to you with your credit report.
Credit bureaus have to investigate your dispute within thirty days of receiving your letter. It is important to keep a copy of your letter and it is important to note the date the letter was sent.
There is no need to come across frustrated or use threatening language in your letter - calmly and clearly state the problem and request an investigation.
Be sure that you do follow up with the issues you raised in your letter.
Just because the agency investigates does not always mean that your credit report will end up error free.
Commit to cleaning up any money messes that might show themselves on your credit report by using these tips and get your report at least once a year.
