| |
Free Credit Report: How To Get Your Free Credit Report Fast
Approximately 24% Americans have a FICO score less than 650, which makes it difficult for them to get a loan or card on favorable terms. If you have a low FICO score or even if you have a fairly decent score, it makes sense to try and raise your score. A good score not only qualifies you for more loans but also saves you thousands of dollars in interest money. When trying to improve your rating, the first thing you must do is to get a copy of your report.
Your rating or score is a number calculated on the basis of your history. Lenders use this number to determine your worthiness or ability to manage a new debt. Your rating is calculated by rating agencies and recorded in a report. Most reports in the United States are managed by three major national bureaus—Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion.
Till some time back, it was quite difficult to get access to your report. bureaus shared reports only with lenders such as banks and insurance companies. However, after an amendment made in 2004 to the federal Fair Reporting Act, you are entitled
to one free annual report from each of the three national reporting agencies. To obtain your free report, you can:
·Call 877-322-8228.
·Make an online request through the Web site www.annualcreditreport.com. This is the only Web site authorized to provide your free annual report. This site is maintained by the three major national bureaus. Other Web sites that may look similar may trick you into purchasing their monitoring services when you request for your free report.
·Fill the form at the back of the Annual Report Request brochure and mail it to Annual Report Request Service, P.O. Box 105281, Atlanta, GA, 30348-5281.
If you apply online for a free report, you would need to answer personal questions. These questions are for identification purposes only. Obtaining your report online is very simple and takes just five minutes. As each of the three national bureaus are required to provide you a free report each year, you can spread out your requests so that you get a copy of the report every four months. This is a good way of reviewing your report periodically for errors.
|