Free Credit Report Articles

Free Credit Report Without A Credit Card!

2009-07-10T10:04:00.000-07:00

Almost ten years ago, I was looking to buy a new home. A builder was advertising a “no down-payment mortgage”. With my permission, he pulled a copy of my credit report and told me that I had problems. I knew that I was entitled to a free credit report. Without a credit card, I began searching on-line for a source. The builder told me that the credit bureau was in town and that I could get a free credit report without a credit card if I went directly to the credit bureau. I could not even find the address.
For your information, if you are ever denied credit. The lender is required to provide you with the name and address of the credit bureau which provided them with the information they used in reviewing your application. You are entitled to a free credit report, without a credit card, within 60 days of the denied application.
This builder was a little strange. He printed out a copy and waved it in front of my face, telling me that he was not supposed to even let me see the report. He told me that in a couple of years, I might be able to qualify for his program. I had no idea what information he was talking about. I had owned and recently sold my own home because I had moved to a new city. I decided to rent for a while, just in case I did not like the new town. I did not have an active credit card, because I do not like credit cards. They sometimes get me into trouble. But, I was sure that this alone was not reason to refuse me into his no down payment program. So, my search began for a free credit report without a credit card. The builder said that I should be able to get one on-line, but that I would probably have to pay a fee. This made no sense to me, because I knew that I was entitled to a free copy.

I found a site that offered a free credit report without a credit card. They said they would send me my “free credit report” in the mail in a couple of weeks. My free credit report without a credit card turned out to be a magazine. The title was “My Free Credit Report”. This was my free copy, but they wanted me to know that subscribing was easy. I would be billed in three easy installments. I think that at this point, I gave up looking for a free credit report without a credit card. Having a case of “sour grapes”, I decided that I was not ready to buy a new house anyway.

Today, because of a recently enacted law, commonly called the FACT act, consumers can view and print a free credit report without a credit card, on-line, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The website was created by the three major credit bureaus, Equifax, TransUnion and Experian. The website was created to make it easier for people like me to find their free credit report without a credit card. Actually, it was created to make it easier for anyone to access the information stored on their credit reports. You are entitled to a free credit report without a credit card once in a 12 month period, if you have been denied credit within the past 60 days, if you are unemployed and planning to look for a job within the next 90 days and for various other reasons. The website address is www.annualcreditreport.com. It will come up if you type in free credit report into a web search engine, but other offers and services will pop up as well. If you type in “free credit report without a credit card”, it will not show up on the first page at all. Misspellings of the website address are being used by companies to attract customers to the services they offer. In order to avoid an experience like mine, you can type the website address correctly or access it from the Federal Trade Commission’s official consumer credit website. Hope this information makes your search for a free credit report without a credit card a little easier.

Obtaining a Free Credit Report Two Times A Year Is Easier Then You Think

2009-07-10T09:51:00.000-07:00

If you've been busy recently trying to apply for a car loan or purchase a house then you already know how vital your credit rating is and the impact it has on your ability to obtain financial credit from a lending institution. What you may not have been aware of is how easy it is obtaining a free credit report. The detailed information on your credit report should be periodically reviewed at least once a year in order to verify your current information and to correct any mistakes that may be evident during your credit report review. Naturally, this can be easily accomplished by obtaining a free credit report.
Previously it used to be rather expensive to constantly send off for and receive your credit report in order to make sure your personal credit history and information was correct and up to date. However, recent legislation has now made it possible to receive two free credit reports each year from the three major credit reporting agencies. This includes
Equifax, who can be reached 800-378-2732, 888-397-3742, Experian and Trans Union, both of which can be contacted at 800-888-4213 in order to request a free credit report over the phone. In case you're adverse to ordering stuff of a personal nature, especially when dealing with your financial records and credit history, there is an option available to request a free credit report from the credit reporting agencies through the regular postal system or mail
In order to make sure that there are no errors on any portion of your credit you will want to request a credit report from each of the three individual credit reporting companies. The reality is one report won’t tell you everything and none of the agencies issue a free credit report that contains the information as compiled by all three agencies. When obtaining a free credit report it may be possible to also find out what your credit score currently is but sometimes this isn’t always the case so be prepared to not receive that important number. Also make sure that before you actually start to order your credit report you have all of the necessary information such as your social security number, mailing address and of course your name, either memorized or written down. Failure to do so could result in a slow response time from the credit-reporting agency that you are working with to obtain your free credit report.

If you search online for the ability to order your credit history then prior to obtaining your free credit report make sure that the website you will be downloading the report from is a secured website and a legitimate company. The typical turn around or delivery time after requesting a free credit report online or by phone is about four weeks with the wait increased to at least six weeks when obtaining a free credit report by mail.

Free Credit Report and Score - How to Receive a Free Credit Report

2009-07-10T09:50:00.000-07:00

Each consumer with credit history should obtain a copy of their report annually. The cost of credit reports vary. If obtaining a copy from the credit bureaus, consumers may pay $15 per bureau. However, some online credit agencies advertise low cost credit reports. Rather than paying for a credit report, consider obtaining a free report.

Who Qualifies for a Free Credit Report?

By law, each consumer is entitled to one free credit report each year. Although reports are free, consumer may have to pay a few bucks to view their credit score. Despite this incentive to encourage credit report monitoring, many people neglect to review the contents of their report. This results in millions becoming victims of identity theft each year. Free credit reports are available online, and viewable for up to 30 days. However, other factors may also qualify you for a free credit report.
Credit Report Inaccuracies

If you believe that your credit report contains errors or mistakes, you are a good candidate for a free credit report from each of the three bureaus. The majority of people only review their report from one bureau. However, if the contents on the Experian report are inaccurate, it's worth obtaining copies of the other three reports to ensure that the same mistake has not occurred twice.

Denied Credit, Employment, or Insurance

Although credit history has nothing to do with your ability to function well on the job or drive a car, many employers, and insurance agencies have begun checking credit reports. In some instance, a negative credit rating may prevent you from obtaining employment, or result in higher car insurance premiums. Individuals who have been denied a line of credit, employment, or insurance because of their credit will qualify for a free report.

Experience a Credit Limit Reduction or Interest Rate Increase

Unfortunately, creditors have the right to reduce credit limits and increase rates at their leisure. If you habitually make late payments or exceed your credit limit, a change in credit card limits and rates should be expected. However, if changes occur for no apparent reason, it helps to obtain a free copy of your report and ensure that all information is accurate.

The Truth About Your Free Credit Report

2009-07-10T09:49:00.000-07:00

The free annual credit report has already made a turn in court. Somehow the meaning of the word "free" is very difficult to understand for some people.The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) requires each of the nationwide consumer reporting companies - Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion - to provide you with a free copy of your credit report, at your request, once every 12 months.You should ask yourself the following questions to see if you are fully informed about your free credit report:
* How do you order your free credit report? What information do you need to provide to get your free credit report?
* Why would you want a copy of your free credit report?
* How long does it take to get your free credit report after you order it?
* Are there any other situations where you might be eligible for a free credit report?
* Should you order a free credit report from each of the three nationwide consumer reporting companies?
* What if you find errors - either inaccuracies or incomplete information - in your free credit report?
* What can you do if the consumer reporting company or information provider won't correct the information you dispute in your free annual credit report?
* How long can a consumer reporting company report negative information?
* Can anyone else get a copy of your free annual credit report?
* Can your employer get your free annual credit report?
* Learn how to make extra money so you don't need a credit report
* The internet can change your financial situation very quickly if you know what to do.

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Get Your Annual Free Credit Report - Why Pay For It?

2009-07-10T09:48:00.000-07:00

You can get an annual free credit report from any of the three major credit bureaus. If you have ever had credit, then there is a report on your borrowing and repaying at one of these bureaus – maybe all three. The Fair Credit Reporting Act is a law saying that every person is entitled to receive one annual free credit report once every twelve months from the credit bureaus.
Annual credit reports are very important because they contain all of the information about your credit history – not just for the past year, but for at least 7 years. When you request an annual free credit report, the credit bureau is not allowed to charge you for the first report. However, if you request more than one report, then you have to pay for the others.
There are many sites on the Internet that will charge you for a credit report. Therefore it is important to know that you do not have to pay for this service. By analyzing your annual free credit report once a year, you will have a clear idea of what your credit score is. Free annual credit reports will help you determine where your focus for the next year should be if you are looking to repair any bad credit items that appear on your report.

If you have been denied credit and you think that it is unreasonable, then it would be in your best interest to request a free annual credit report. This is because with the amount of scams that exist, someone could be using your name to receive credit and then giving you a bad rating. If you are working on repairing bad credit that you have, an annual free credit report is enough to request. Credit scores do not raise overnight or because you made one payment on time. It takes at least a year to notice a marked increase, so you shouldn’t pay for extra reports.

When you receive your annual free credit report, you should carefully read all sections. All aspects of the credit report are included in computing a credit score, so you should pay attention to all of them. Check your address to make sure it is correct and compare the list of accounts to ensure that you have not missed any payments. The annual free credit report also contains a list of people or businesses that have requested credit information on you recently. You should also check this to see that all of these names are familiar to you.

You don’t need to pay, you can get an annual free credit report.

Getting a Free Credit Report Is Convenient and Easy

2009-07-10T09:47:00.000-07:00

In today’s world, one of the most important things to have in order to function well in society is to have a good credit standing. By availing of a free credit report, you can monitor a vital aspect of your finances and get a good idea of how you look to financial institutions. Moreover, you can assess for yourself whether you’re the type of person with whom a credit institution would want to do business.
A free credit report is not just a privilege for a select few; it’s the right of all to acquire. This came about because the United States Congress in 2003 enacted the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act (FACT), allowing every American citizen to get a free copy of their credit report once a year. Needless to say, it has been invaluable in helping individuals manage their personal finance. All a person needs to do to obtain his or her credit report for free is to log on to the web site Annual Credit Report, which was established by the credit bureaus Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. Once you reach the web site, all you have to do is enter your name, date of birth, address, and Social Security number.
However, you should double-check and probably even triple-check that you’re on the right web site before giving out any personal information. There are numerous spurious web sites that pretend to be the real thing by having a similar-sounding name to the legitimate one. This naturally can fool some people into thinking that they’re on the right site. They give out their personal information, only to find out later that they have become victims of identity theft or credit card fraud. Some fraudsters even resort to sending spam or unsolicited e-mail, promising free credit information. Never fall for this scheme; it’s just a scam to acquire personal data such as your Social Security number or credit card information and wreak havoc on your personal finance.

Another good thing about keeping abreast updated credit reports is that you’ll be able to see if the information contained therein is accurate. Although it doesn’t usually happen, there’s still a distinct possibility that your creditors may fail to record your transactions properly. Thus, you may find sometimes that payments you have made to a creditor have not been recorded, and this could damage your credit standing. You will also be able to see any person or entity that has ever requested your credit report; even the reason for their request.

And a good credit standing is vital in making sure your personal finance is in proper order. One that contains records of late or missed credit card payments, excessive loan applications, closure of credit accounts, among other things, could adversely influence the factors that affect your standard and quality of life. If your credit standing is poor, you could find it hard to apply for a loan, refinance your mortgage, or get a more affordable automobile insurance rate. In fact, some employers even take a prospective employee’s credit report (but only with his or her written permission) into consideration in their worker selection processes.

Hence, a free credit report can keep you apprised of your financial viability and save you time and money in numerous aspects of your life. And as mentioned earlier, getting access to it is very easy. In addition to the centralized web site, a consumer may call their hotline or send a letter requesting the report to their post office box address. Consumers also have the option of contacting Experian, TransUnion, and Equifax and ask for credit reports from each of these companies. In addition, the web site of the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) offers tips and guidelines on getting free credit reports.

Even though a consumer is entitled to one free credit report every 12 months, there are extenuating circumstances that may allow him or her to avail of an additional free report; for instance, if the report is inaccurate, if you’re on welfare, or if a company takes negative action against you. Hopefully, it doesn’t have to come to that before you decide to take a look at records of your credit standing. With a free credit report, you can manage your personal finance better and wiser.

Free Credit Report

2009-07-10T09:46:00.001-07:00

Most people are familiar with the term credit report but not everyone has a clear picture of exactly what a credit report it is. Your credit report can be viewed as a report card of your financial and credit activities. You are “graded” on your payment timeliness and credit activity. The fewer late payments you have made and the fewer delinquent accounts you have, the better your grade will be. Your credit score is basically a cumulative grade of your credit report. It is important to know what is on your credit report to ensure that your credit activity is being reported correctly.
But unlike a regular report card, you will not receive a copy of your credit report unless you request one. There is more than one way to go about when requesting a copy of your credit report. For a fee, you can receive a copy directly from one of the major credit bureaus. Or you can obtain a free copy from one of the many companies available on the Internet. There are many reputable companies that will provide you with a copy of your credit report completely free of charge. Visit www.credit-report-credit-score.com to learn more about credit reports and how to get a free copy of your credit report.
Some people may be a little skeptical about requesting a copy of their free credit report and may wonder if it is as good as a copy that you would pay for. But rest assured that a free credit report contains the exact same information that you would receive if you had paid for a copy directly from the credit bureaus.

You may be wondering why would companies provide you with a free copy of your credit report and is there a catch? Most companies that will grant you a free copy of your credit report require that you sign up for a credit monitoring service of some sort. But as long as you cancel the service before the free trial period ends, then you never pay a penny and still get to keep your free credit report. However, there are some really good credit services out there if you choose to keep the service. Many people have greatly improved their credit situation with these types of services. So make sure that you know all of the benefits before canceling a credit service that may accompany your free credit report.

How to Understand Credit Report

2009-07-10T09:44:00.000-07:00

Now that you have obtained your credit report, the first thing you need to do is read through it and understand what it all means. Don't feel bad if you don't understand what the credit report is saying to you. Most credit reports are coded because it allows shorter time for the computer to transmit all the information between the reporting agency and its clients. All reports should have the codes print directly on the back of the report itself or on a separate attachment telling you what the codes stand for.

Credit Bureaus may not all have the same format on how the report should look, but they all have the same information included on the report. Equifax is the only credit-reporting agency that provides consumers with a credit report in a column format. This means that Equifax reports are easier to read and easier to understand. In this chapter you will be shown examples of what is on the report from Equifax, Trans Union and Experian/TRW.
EQUIFAX: They often separate out the accounts with the different collection agencies. The Company Name is the name of the business reporting the information. In many cases, just below the company name is a description of the type of account (such as student loans, credit card or line of credit), some payment history and or the account's status (such as charge off, collection account, payment deferred, account transferred or account closed by consumer.)

• The Account Number is the number from the company reporting the information and who is responsible for the account and what type of obligation you have. Here are sample codes explaining what they are:

A = Authorized user (of someone else’s account)

B= On behalf of another person

C= Co-maker/Co-signer

I= Individual

J= Joint

M= Maker

S= Shared

T= Terminated

U= Undesignated

• Date Opened is the month and year you opened the account.

• Month's Review is the number of months for which your account payment history has been reported to the credit bureaus and when it was last looked at.

• Date of Last Activity is the date of the most recent month and year that something happened on the account. This may be the last time you made a payment or when the account was charged off or sent to collections. This date is important because negative information can stay on your report for up to seven years after the date of the last activity.

• High Credit is the credit amount of any loan you took out, your credit limit or possibly the highest amount you have ever charged on that specific account.

• Terms indicate either the number of installments you have (indicate by an M) to pay off the debt or the amount of your monthly payment.

• Balance is the amount you owed on the account when the creditor last provided the credit bureaus with the information.

• Past Dues is the amount past due on the account when the creditor last provided the credit bureaus with information.

• Status indicates both the type of account and your payment history that you have made.

• Type of Account: I stands for (Installment) meaning payment amount is fixed each month; O stands for (Open) meaning entire balance is due each month); R stands for (Revolving) meaning payment amount is variable each month.

• Payment History Codes: 0= too new to review; 1= Paid as agreed; 2= 30+ days past due; 3= 60+ days past due; 4= 90+ days past due; 5= 120+ days past due or account sent to collection; 6= Making regular payments under wage earner plan 7= Repossession 8= Charged off to bad debt.

• Date Reported is the date the creditor last provided Equifax with the information. Creditors who have requested a copy of your report are listed in the final section with the date they requested your report. Under Equifax’s policies, coded inquiries are given only to you and other creditors are not allowed to see them.

TRANS UNION: Breaks down the credit information into several subsections.

• Public Records. This section includes information obtained from local, state and federal courts and offices including lawsuits, bankruptcies and liens. Any information that is public accessible.

• Accounts with Negative Marks. Trans Union separates out the accounts that contain information which some creditors may consider to be adverse and highlights the negative information by enclosing it in brackets. The bracketed information usually includes the account's status, any past due amount and information on any late payments that you have made.

• Accounts without Negative Marks. Immediately following the negative accounts, Trans Union lists the accounts that are reported with no adverse information. Both the accounts without negative marks and those with no adverse information contain the following information: the name of the company, account number, the type of credit extended to you, the date the creditor last provided Trans Union with the updated information, the amount you owed on the account when the creditor last provided Trans Union with your balance, the person who is responsible for the account, the month and year you opened the account, the amount of any loan you took out, or the highest amount you have ever charged on that specific account, your credit limit on a revolving or open account, or the amount of your monthly payments and number of months that it took you to pay off an installment debt, the month and year you or the creditor closed the account, and the status of your account as of the last date the account was updated. Items such as charged off as bad credit, collection account, paid as agreed, payment after charge off or collection are also on the report.

• Inquiries-Full Disclosure. Trans Union divides your inquires into two sections. The first section lists the companies that received your full credit report in response to your request for credit. These inquiries stay on your credit report for at least two years.

• Inquiries-Partial Disclosure. Some companies received only your name and address for the purpose of making you a credit offer or to review your accounts. These inquiries stay on your credit report for up to a year and are not seen by other creditors.

EXPERIAN / TRW: This credit bureau summarizes the contents into two categories,
one section for listings of creditors who receive your report for offering you credit, and the second for their own purpose of marketing.

• The report starts off with potentially negative items such as public records and accounts with creditors and others and then is followed with accounts in good standing. On each page of this report, the consumer’s name and a unique number appear on the top corner.

• Experian / TRW provides you with information affecting your credit worthiness. The items listed with dashes before and after the number, such as -3-, may have a negative affect on your credit.

• Those items are listed first; beginning with public records and followed by credit accounts. After the negative entries, the item for which there are no negative entries follows.

• For all accounts, negative or positive, Experian / TRW includes the creditor’s name and address and the account or court case number. To protect your identity and lessen your risk of identity theft, Experian/TRW does not include the full account number. They only include the first few numbers and leave the final few digits out.

• Experian/TRW notes the date the account was opened and how long the account has been reported with them, date of the last activity on the account, the type of account, your payment terms, your monthly payment amount, who is the responsible person for paying, the original amount that was borrowed, your credit limit or your highest balance, and any recent balance or payment. Finally, the comments paragraph tells the status of the account and for past due accounts, and when the information is scheduled to come off your report.

• Following the list of credit accounts, Experian/TRW provides more detailed information for certain accounts. This detail includes your monthly balances for you for the past 24 months and your credit limit, high balance or original loan amount you borrowed.

• Towards the end of the report, Experian/TRW separates out credit inquires into two sections. The creditors who reviewed your report for the purpose of offering you credit and creditors reviewing their own accounts or who reviewed your report for marketing purposes. For the first set of inquiries, each entry indicates how long the item will remain on your record.

• The end of the report contains identification information, which includes your name and all other names you have used in the past, your current and previous addresses, your social security number, date of birth, and current and previous employers. Remember that once a credit bureau gathers information about you, they can report that information and that information can and will stay on your record. The items listed below tell you how long each of these items will stay on your credit report. This will give you an idea of what you need to avoid or fix, if at all possible.

• Bankruptcies from the date of the last activity may be reported for no more than ten years. Though the date of the last activity for most bankruptcies is the date you receive your discharge or the date your case dismissed, credit bureaus usually start counting the ten-year period from the earlier date of filing. Some credit bureaus report successfully bankruptcies for only seven years. That may not always be the case.

• Lawsuits and judgments may be reported from the date of the entry of the judgment against you up to seven years, or until the governing status of limitations has expired, whichever time period is longer. Credit bureaus usually delete all lawsuits and judgments after seven years.

• Paid tax liens and criminal records from the date of the last activity can stay on for up to seven years. Accounts sent for collection, accounts charged off or any other similar action may be reported from the date of the last activity on the account up to seven years. The date of last activity is 180 days from the delinquency itself. Creditors are obligated to include the date of the delinquency when they report past due accounts to credit bureaus.

• Bankruptcies, lawsuits, paid tax liens, accounts sent out for collection, criminal records and any other adverse information may be reported indefinitely if you apply for a large amount of money over one hundred thousand dollars of credit or insurance, or if you apply for a job with an annual income amount of at least $75,000. However, credit bureaus usually delete all items after seven or ten years.
Now that you have read through this info and you know how to read your credit report and
understand it, you should be able to analyze your report and make a list of everything that you see that is inaccurate or out of date, misleading, or not authorized to be in your file.

Credit Report Secrets

2009-07-10T09:39:00.000-07:00

If you’ve ever applied for a credit card or loan, you’ve probably had
your credit report reviewed by the lender. Your credit report has a huge impact on your financial future, so it’s well worth your time to be sure that you understand what your credit report says about you. Even if you’re not interested in obtaining credit, your credit report can impact other areas of your life. Potential employers view your credit report to assess your trustworthiness as an employee. Landlords frequently check the credit reports of their tenants before allowing them to sign or renew their lease.

So whether you knew it or not, your credit report can have a major impact on
your quality of life. With this said I’m sure you can now see that there is a
benefit to obtaining and then verifying that the information on your credit
report is accurate and true.
You can request copies of your report from the three major credit bureaus:
Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. A recent amendment to the federal Fair Credit
Reporting Act requires each of these national consumer-reporting companies to
provide you with a yearly free copy of your credit report upon your request.

Basically, your credit report is a summary of how you pay your bills; repay
loans; how much credit you have available; what your monthly debts are; and
other types of information that can help a prospective lender decide if you are
a good credit risk.

Your credit report is made up of several sections. The first section contains
personal identifying information such as your name, current and previous
addresses, social security number, telephone number, birth date, and your
current and previous employers.

Your bill paying history with banks, retail stores, finance companies,
mortgage companies, and others who have granted you credit is one of the most
important parts of your credit report. Public records that might indicate your
credit worthiness, such as tax liens, court judgments, and bankruptcies are also
included in the section detailing your credit history.

Your credit report includes a comprehensive listing of all credit granters
and other individuals who have received a copy of your credit report. In
addition, lists of companies that have received your name and address in order
to offer you credit are also included in your credit report.

Most credit bureaus allow both the consumer and the creditor to make
statements if there is a dispute about something on the report. If applicable,
your credit report will include these dispute statements.

Your credit report does not include bank account balances, race, religion,
health, criminal records, driving records, or annual income. You’ve probably
heard about a FICO credit score as well. Credit scores are based on formulas
that use the information in your report, but they’re not considered part of
your credit report.

Problems with your credit report will result in you either being denied
credit or receiving a higher interest rate. Red flags on your credit report
include excessive applications for additional credit, a short credit history, a
high debt ratio, and late payments to previous creditors. In most cases,
negative information will stay on your report for seven years. However,
bankruptcy information stays on your credit report for ten years.

To help improve your credit report, always remember to close unused accounts,
pay your bills on time, never use all of your available credit, and don’t
apply for unnecessary credit.