YOUR CREDIT REPORT
 

It's important. Do you have questions about yours?
I might be able to help...or at least make fun of you. ;)

Any way to get a free one without strings attached?

Dealers can run you and will usually let you review your report, but the license agreement we have with the credit bureau prevents us from handing it out. they get $15 for the report, usually, and if we gave them awy for free, that would infringe on their business. I've never checked freecreditreprot.com, but i imagine there would be some strings attached.

I request one annually from the three bureaus (I just drop a one page letter in the mail every year). They are obligated to give you one free one per year and they do it happily and include a very nice letter along with it.

I am looking primarily for three things: who has requested a copy lately, are any closed accounts showing as active, and is anything showing as delinquent that isn't.

If you see the name of someone who requested a report and you don't know who they are, think about if they are acting on behalf of someone whom you did authorize to see it (landlords, cell phone companies, etc.) before freaking.

Also, be very wary of non-credit items on the report - i.e., judgments, tax liens, etc. This info is ((in most cases) NOT reported directly to the agency from/by the municipality but is collected by people (contractors of the credit bureaus) who physically comb through the courthouse records to get the info and it is RIFE with errors. I've had two issues with refi loans w/r to credit reports and they were both misreported non-credit items. And they are a royal bitch to clean up (you will need a letter from the jurisdiction) so start early.

Are they obligated to do so in every state? If so, would you mind posting the mailing addresses please? I would appreciate it. I found an address (who knows if it's the right one) on TransUnion's and Equifax's websites, but Experian doesn't have one listed, and their phone system doesn't involve a real person ever answering the phone.

XPN - EXPERIAN, PHONE: (888) 397-3742
P.O. BOX 2002, ALLEN, TX 75013

EFX - EQUIFAX INFORMATION SVCS, PHONE: (800) 685-1111
P.O. BOX 740241, ATLANTA, GA 30374

TUC - TRANS UNION, PHONE: (800) 916-8800
P.O. BOX 34012, FULLERTON, CA 92834

Whoa, glad I asked. TransUnion listed a totally different address, in Pennsylvania.

So if I just send them a letter asking for my annual free credit report, they won't send back a letter full of laughing-in-my-face, right?

they used to be located in springfield, but they moved. try calling first to verify your question.


btw, good info, beestie...i did not know that.

jim

The obligatory free credit report every year is only for some states.

If you have been denied credit within the past so many months (can't remember this figure) you are also entitled to a free one. I believe this is true for any state.

Forgot to mention: include your SS # and address in the request so they can figger out who you are.

Its a federal thing and not a state thing so it doesn't matter where you live. The feds asked the 3 bureaus to provide one freee rpt per year so they do so (upon request).

Just be sure to read and understand it when you get it. If you see something you don't understand, take it to your bank and ask a loan officer to walk you through it.