Free Annual Credit Report

Hello, I'm John.  Everyone is entitled to a Free Annual Credit Report from each of three Credit Reporting Agencies. These agencies are Experian, Trans Union and Equifax. You won't know exactly what your Credit Report score is unless you get your Credit Reports from all three agencies.

That's why we've created this special page within the site to advise on how to maintain a good Credit score.

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First of all it is important to understand the value and importance of obtaining a copy of a Credit Report.  A persons Credit Report contains the historical and present day information regarding any Credit card, revolving charge accounts or other Credit activity that the individual may have been involved with. 

Protect Your Credit:  Get A Free Annual Credit Report

Because of the importance of Credit to the world's economy, it is important to protect one's own personal Credit.  This protection can be accomplished in a number of ways.

One of the major ways to protect one's Credit is to get a copy of a Credit Report that reflects an individual's Credit history.  Therefore, it is important to get a Credit Report and know how to accomplish this important task.

The Importance of Getting A Free Annual Credit Report

First of all in todays day and age one must realize how important it is to get a Credit Report.  The importance of obtaining a personal Credit Report is to ensure that the Credit history is accurate and to make sure that there is no fraudulent activity reflected.

A persons Credit as reflected on a Credit Report is a critical document.  This is because any potential lender will request an individuals Credit Report if that person is requesting a loan or wants to open up a Credit account.  The Credit Report will reveal the history and current activity regarding the individuals Credit activity.  This information is critical for the potential lender as they will be able to see how an individual handles Credit.  In addition, if a persons Credit Report is in good standing, they may qualify for lower interest rates. 

Also, the importance for an individual to get a Credit Report reflecting their Credit activity is to monitor their Credit activity.  This is important because many individuals give Credit card information to various individuals and enter that information on to various web sites.  This activity increases the chances of an individual becoming a victim of identity theft or their Credit card information falling into the hands of unscrupulous individuals.  Therefore it is important to get a Credit Report on an annual basis to monitor any unauthorized activity.

How To Get A Free Annual Credit Report

There are a number of ways for a person to get a Free Annual Credit Report.  Probably the easiest way is for an individual to go on to the Internet and log on to various web sites that offer an individual their Credit Report at no cost.  This free access to an individuals Credit Report is due to recent legislation that requires that Credit Reporting agencies provide this information on an annual basis to an individual.

Another way for a person to get their Credit Report is to give one of the three Credit Reporting bureaus a phone call and ask that their Credit Report the mailed to them.   Those three Credit Reporting bureaus are Experian, TransUnion and Equifax.  In addition, a consumer may request their Credit Report by asking for that Report in writing.

Keep a close eye on your Credit Reports and make sure you alert the Credit companies to anything suspicious.  When you get a Credit Report make sure you get the best Credit Reports, and the most complete Report, you can possibly get.

 

Take Advantage of Your Free Annual Credit Report

Did you know that you're entitled to one free copy of your Annual Credit Report from the Three Credit Reporting agencies? The agencies that are responsible for Credit Reporting include Experian, Trans Union and Equifax. When you take out a line of Credit from a company, that company will Report your debt to one of the three companies. Some companies Report to more than one but very few Report to more than one. That's why it's imperative, if you care about your Credit, that you get your Annual Credit Report from all three companies. That way, you can see where you stand Credit wise, and you'll know what you owe and to whom.

Why Is It Important? 

Why is getting your Annual Credit Report important? It's important for several reasons. First of all, it will tell you how much you owe and to whom, it can let you know if you've been the victim of identity theft, it can tell you if someone has accidentally Reported a debt that doesn't belong to you, it can let you check to see if all of your information is correct and a myriad of other reasons. Did you know that not having good Credit can bar you from being employed at some places and it can even cost you more money in most things you try to buy. For example, if you have bad Credit, you can't get a job at a bank, you'll pay lots more money if you try to buy a house or a car, and you will be looked at poorly by companies that you wish to open a line of Credit with. That's a lot of reasons to take advantage of your Free Annual Credit Report.

Save Money

When you get your Annual Credit Report, see how much you owe and who you owe that amount to. If you have a lot of small balances, try paying them off a little at a time, one at a time. Just doing that little bit over time will drastically raise your Credit Score and you'd be amazed at how fast it will fix your Credit. Then, when you try to buy a house or a car, you'll get a much lower interest rate, which will save you a lot of money over time. Not to mention that you may get that important job you've always wanted.

If the balances on your annual Credit Report are high, don't stress out. Contact the Creditor and ask them if you can settle, if you have the money, or set up a payment plan. Sometimes, if you set up a payment plan with the Creditor, that company will take your derogatory marks off your annual Credit Report.

Seven To Ten Years

Keep in mind that most derogatory items, such as late payments and lack of payment, can stay on your Credit Report for seven to ten years. However, if you show that you're trying to fix your Credit Report, this can do wonders for your image in the eyes of lenders who you're trying to get lines of Credit with.

 
 

With this in mind a copy of a Credit Report can be obtained in a number of ways.  One of the easiest ways is to log on to a web site that provides the Credit Report.  After answering a few questions to authenticate the identity of the individual, the person will be able to review their Credit Report on line.  It is important to note that because of recent legislation, receiving a copy of a Credit Report for the individual can be obtained at no charge.

All About the Consumer Credit Report

When it comes to buying a home or a car, the most important thing is not how much money you have in the bank but what your consumer Credit Report says about you and how worthy you are of getting Credit. There is nothing else like the consumer Credit Report when it comes to making a breaking a financial deal. Those who take care of their bills properly will reap the benefits through an excellent score on their Credit Report. But too many times people fail to realize just how important that Report is and will allow things to slip and affect their Credit.

If you want to know what is on your consumer Credit Report, you can request one free copy each year from each of the Reporting agencies. There are three major ones that lenders will use to get information on you. It is important to understand just what all is on a consumer Credit Report so you know what these lenders will be looking at. It is also vital that you make sure that you are up to date with what is being Reported about you in order to make sure that mistakes are corrected promptly and that no one is using your name to obtain Credit illegally.

What's on it

Your consumer Credit Report will have such things like your personal information, which is used to identify thieves who are trying to use your Credit. You will find your social security number, your previous and your current address, and your history of employment. Also, there will be a list of your Credit history and all of the accounts you have opened up. It will describe how many days late your payments have ever been, how much your current balance is and how much Credit you still have open.

Your consumer Credit Report will also give a list of all Credit inquires that has recently been made for Credit or Credit history. Sometimes these inquires are made at the request of the individual because they are trying to obtain more Credit. Then there are other times when companies you currently have Credit through does a check up on you without you even realizing it. These are called soft or hard inquiries and the ones, which are just check ups on you, do not affect your score on your consumer Credit Report. Your Credit Report is important so make sure you take it seriously.

 

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Copyright 2012

If an individual is uncomfortable about going through the Internet to obtain their Credit Report they have two other options.  One of those options is to call one of the Credit bureaus and request their Credit Report over the phone.  The other option is to write a letter requesting that the Credit Report be mailed.  The three Credit bureaus are Experian, TransUnion and Equifax.

What Makes Up The Best Credit Reports?

With identity theft and internet crimes being a huge priority right now there has been an industry emerging that is benefiting from all of this concern over ones identity and financial status.  There has been a surge in companies that either offer to help you keep a watch on your Credit Reports or help you keep your Credit Reports even more secure than they already are. 

Some are even running regular radio and television ads that have catchy jingles and funny plots to them.  But your Credit Report is not something you want to take lightly because, believe it or not, constant access to your Credit Report can reflect negatively on your Credit.  So when you get a Credit Report you want to get it once and you want to get the best Credit Reports you can get. 

When I say the best Credit Reports you can get I mean the most complete Credit Report available to you.  Many of these free Credit Report companies do not offer the best Credit Reports because for free they will only allow you access to a limited amount of your Credit Report.  To get the best Credit Reports available to you then you need to go right to the sources of your Credit Reports and that is the major Credit Reporting agency. 

If you want the best Credit Reports but do not want to spend the extra money to go through all of the Credit Reporting agencies then you can do well, and get the best Credit Reports you can get, by just dealing with Experian.  Experian is rapidly becoming the Credit Report of choice and it is not too far off to say that if something is on your Experian Report then it is on the rest of them and vice versa for items not on your Experian Report.  If you have the resources you should still deal with all of the major Credit Reporting agencies to get the best Credit Reports and the most complete one.

 What Is The Point?

In the last decade or so the Credit Report companies have switched from a letter based system to a number based system to give an overall snapshot of your personal Credit.  The best Credit Reports is going to give you your Credit number and this is the number that Creditors use to decide how much of a loan they will give you, how much of a line of Credit they will give you, and what interest rate you will pay.  Having knowledge of this number can help you save thousands of dollars in interest payments down the road.