Monthly Archive for May, 2008

Should You Obtain a Copy of Your Credit Report?

Allison May asked:


The answer to the above question is yes. You definitely should obtain a copy of your credit report. If you’re asking why, let’s talk about some important points about your credit report.

What is in your credit report?

Your credit report contains significant information about your accounts and finances. In your credit report, you can find your employment history, your salary history, your past and present credit with all your creditors and other legal information.

Also included in your credit report is your complete name, Social Security Number, date of birth, driver’s license number, your past and current home address, telephone number and other personal details. All transactions that you have with lending companies, credit card companies, insurance companies and other financial institutions are all reflected on your credit report.

How much you owe a certain creditor is listed in detail. Also, whether you’re paying your bills on time or not can be traced by looking at your credit report. All these information are included on your credit report.

Who Checks On Your Credit Report?

You may now have an idea why it is important for you to obtain a copy of your own personal credit report. Landlord, potential employers, insurance companies, government agencies, lending companies, credit card companies – all these organizations check on your credit report to know your background and reputation.

A single false information or an incorrect transaction on your credit report can damage your credit worthiness. You can get denied by potential employers just because your credit report seems bad. Creditors can refuse your applications on account that you have bad account on your credit report. Thus, it is your responsibility to check and ensure that there isn’t any false information or derogatory records that can affect your reputation.

Check Your Credit Report

You have the right to know if all the information contained on your credit report is true and accurate. As a consumer, you have the right to dispute information which you think are false, erroneous or fraudulent.

The Federal Fair Credit Reporting Act protects consumers from such inaccuracy or possible fraudulent accounts contained in their credit report. In fact, if a credit reporting agency or a credit bureau refuses to give you the appropriate service you need, you may also report it to The Federal Trade Commission.

Every year, all consumers are allowed to obtain a copy of their report from the three major credit bureaus for free. Thus, after making a careful examination on your credit report, you can inform the credit bureaus if you find any disputable records on your credit report. Below are the contact numbers of the three major credit bureaus.

Equifax Options P.O. Box 740123 Atlanta, GA 30374-0123 www.equifax.com

Experian Consumer Opt Out P.O. Box 919 Allen, TX 75013 www.experian.com

Trans Union Name Removal Option P.O. Box 97328 Jackson, MS 39288-7328 www.transunion.com

For a more in-depth discussion on credit report and your rights as a consumer, you may visit the FTC’s website at www.ftc.gov.



ADAM

Free Instant Credit Report: Know About Your Credit Standing in an Instant

Amy Gordon asked:


How will you know whether your financial position is really in a good shape or not? This is where the credit report comes in handy. The real essence of a credit report lies in its ability to help you understand the financial matters along with your credit status. In fact, the report is prepared by the credit bureaus, who keep a track of all your financial activities. .Free instant credit report too is meant to provide you a detailed report about how to maintain your financial well being. This report is absolutely free and can be derived mainly by applying online.

It is your credit report on the basis of which, your loan application form is approved or while applying for a credit card and even while applying for a job. Thus, it becomes equally important to have a free instant credit report. Moreover, the report will also assist you to check if there are any inaccuracies or irregularities on your report and which can be a major embarrassment for you in future.

In accordance with the federal law, the report is issues mainly by 3 prominent credit agencies namely, Transunion, Equifax and Experian. Initially, this report is meant to keep a check on your various financial activities and credit stand. The information pertaining to your financial activities is collected from the lenders and merchants. So, it is of utmost importance to keep checking your credit status on a regular basis.

There are various websites who specialize in offering free instant credit report. Online accessibility of this credit report is beneficial when you are in need of this report urgently. Moreover, you can derive the report without paying any nominal fee.

A  credit report is an official document which contains complete details about your personal information, credit standing, financial transaction made on the past, outstanding payments that remains to be paid along with your credit score. So, a free instant credit report is all that you need to have a perfect understanding about your credit report.



MICHAEL