Archive for November, 2009

Don’t Fall Prey to the Free Credit Report Lure

Ludwig E. Parker asked:


The Federal Fair Credit Reporting Act has been amended, requiring each of the national consumer reporting companies, to provide you  with a free copy of your credit report, at your request, once a year. TransUnion, Experian, and Equifax are the three companies required to do so. Don’t pay for your credit report, or get lured into joining a paid program, when you can get it free. Freeannualcreditreport.com is the only website used by the three credit reporting agencies. Beware of so called free reports.  This is the only FTC recognised source. Take advantage of the website in order to submit the proper forms, or, if you prefer, the process can be expedited over the telephone, or by the U.S. postal service.

  The FTC has received many complaints about companies offering free credit reports. Thousands of people were lured by deceptive marketing into paying for services related to obtaining a free credit report. These people were offered a free report, only to be enroled in paid programs which were difficult to remove oneself from. These manipulative practices put people with bad credit at even greater risk for financial trouble. If you ordered a credit report between November 1, 2000 and September 15, 2003 you may be entitled to participate in the FTC settlement. More information can be found at MyCreditBusiness

Do not contact the three nationwide consumer reporting companies individually, they are only providing free annual credit reports through one outlet. Contacting them directly will only get you redirected to the combined contact resource. There is a required form to fill out in order to request your free credit report. Do not use forms found on websites other than freeannualcreditreport.com. These forms will most likely result in you being enrolled in a “free trial” program, which will cost you money in the long run. Be sure to steer clear of these dubious offers.

You will need your name, address, SS#, and birth date, plus you will be asked to answer a question only you would know the answer to  (for security purposes). In the past, people were not entitled to view their credit information,  they had to pay, or qualify based on certain activity within the credit report. Today the nationwide free annual credit report is mandated by the FTC.  Don’t miss out on the chance to see what is in your credit report, and head off any trouble before it can effect your financial future. 

 



Norma
 

Free Credit Report: Avail Credit Reports for Free

Sophie Wilson asked:


The importance of a credit report cannot be overlooked as far as the financial world is concerned. It is what financial agencies examine to assess your credit worthiness. You can get yours made with a good reporting agency. But nowadays, it is even possible to get free credit report which won’t charge you a penny for the services rendered to you.

Your credit report is a record that contains your credit history and shows your financial status. Free credit report contains information regarding the following aspects:

• Your personal details such as your name, sex, age, address, social security number and marital status

• Your credit history focusing on your credit card accounts, bank accounts, current balance and also loans taken by you

• The public records related to your financial life such as cases of bankruptcy, CCJ concerning financial judgments, arrears, defaults and tax liens, if any

• The inquiries made by any third party to your credit report.

All these information give an indication of what kind of a financial client you would make. With a free credit report in hand, you will know what to expect when you go into the market. Also you can’t be duped when you know where you stand in terms of credit.

Having a credit report is not enough. You need to get it updated from time to time. According to surveys, up to 90% of credit reports are inaccurate. You obviously do not want to lose out on any opportunities for no fault of yours. If any incorrect data is found on the report, then you will face a lot of hassle. Moreover, records of recent credit and payment histories must be included. This is where getting a free credit report acts in your favor. As it is free of cost, you will not have to pay any extra for the updates. It is also possible to prevent fraudulent crimes such as theft of identities and fake applications.

Free credit report is being provided with a lot of credit reporting agencies. You can browse the internet and shop online for such offers easily and swiftly.



Mildred
 

Where can you go on the internet to check your credit report with all three agencies for free?

selma asked:


I heard that you can get a free credit report once a year.

Joseph
 

Unused, 3rd credit card on credit report–Does this affect me?

Mari L asked:


When I was making plans to go to college, I decided to obtain a credit card. I heard two was safe, so I applied for two student cards from Citi. Everything went through, and I got my cards, but I decided to only keep one and not activate the other. I cut up the other one and disposed of it. Fast forward three years later (now), I have since applied and accepted what I thought was my ‘2nd’ Citi card. I have been using both, and never made late payments.

Out of curiosity I finally checked my free annual credit report. I notice I have 4 accounts in good standing…And I was kind of concerned. 2 accts are the CCs I’ve been using as stated, 1 is for my federal student loans, and the other is that card I never activated.

I heard that having 3 CCs could hurt credit, and I know I should cancel my unused card officially. I haven’t checked my actual credit score but I’m worried that this 3rd card affects me. Can someone clarify this for me please?

Alvin

 

credit repair questions?

twism asked:


hey all,
We are trying to repair our credit for many years now. from our experience we have been sent letters back from credit companies telling us that our credit on there is valid and that they will not be changing it. My understanding is that they have to provide proof of this and yet that havnt. What is the best way of action to get these 3 companies to start removing items and what is the best site out there that provides me with all three credit reports all in one for free? Also please provide me with a couple of sites that explain in detail in help regarding steps to do and sample letters that are current that i may use to get my point across.
thank you kindly
please provide actual answers or i will delete the question and then no one gets any points even for just posting. Why is it that i get dumb dumb answers that are evident. The point of questions on Yahoo answers is to get info based on your question not just to post idiotic posts.
thank you
as well annualcredit costs money with alot of there services. And please dont provide the common answers that they can only keep info on there for 7 years we know this everyone knows this. The problem is obvious “removing this stuff” if you dont have experience in this please dont answer as you will not get points anyway. Sorry to all those that do care about answering but you have to understand my frustration with alot of kids answering on here or people that just are answering on common things they have heard.
thanks again

Kathy
 

Whats a good website for checking your credit score from all three reporting bureaus?

Zerocool asked:


Preferibly one that is free or has a free trial and is highly accurate

Melinda
 

Where can I get cheap credit reports and scores for all three bureaus or just experian?

jessalex asked:


I already got my free reports this year so please don’t answer with “you can get them for free at ….. ”

Thanks xoxox

Todd

 

Can you better explain credit reports for me?

Momto2inFL asked:


I just printed my 3 free credit reports from all three agencies for myself as well as my husband. We’re in the process of cleaning up our credit and the first step is by looking our reports over.

First question and it may be minor but I wanted to ask anyways: It has an address for me listed that I never lived at. I actually couldn’t answer one of the security questions properly because I didn’t know the answer. Should I be concerned about this address? Or is it no big deal?

For anything noted as charged off/bad debt – do I call the original creditor to discuss a settlement? How does that work? Just because it’s been “written off” doesn’t mean I ignore it correct? What’s the process for this?

I have read that in the state of FL, we have the right to place a security freeze on the report which prohibits any agency from releasing information without my express authorization. Which means that nobody can really review my report without my direct consent. I think this sounds like a good thing but I don’t know much about it except for what I have read. What is your opinion on this?

Also, anything additional about credit reports and cleaning them up that I should know about?

Thanks!!

Duane

 

Equifax Credit Report – Get Your Free Credit Report From Equifax!

Abhishek Agarwal asked:


Equifax has been compiling credit reports since 1899. You can now get your own free credit report every year from Equifax. Your credit report is what banks, mortgage and credit card companies use when they are deciding whether to grant you credit. It is a record of every credit transaction you have ever made.

Until recently you had to pay to get your credit report. But now thanks to the FACT Act which was passed in 2003 every American can see their own credit report. Previously, only companies had access to this information. Now you can see for yourself the information on which lenders base their decisions.

Equifax is a global company with 4,600 employees in 13 countries. With $1.4 billion in revenue it has a proven track record in the field of credit reports.

All you have to do to get your free credit report is to go to the Equifax website. Follow the simple instructions and your report will appear on your computer. You can download it or print it.

You must establish your identity by providing some information such as date of birth, social security number, name and address. Equifax needs to verify who you are before it hands out this sensitive information. But the whole process only takes a few key strokes.

Once you’ve got your credit report you can check it against your own records. If there are any inaccuracies you can report them to Equifax. When you provide the documentary evidence that a mistake has been made you can have the report corrected.

Then lenders will get an accurate picture of your credit history. If you have been the victim of identity theft and someone has used your name to get credit then you can have those transactions removed from your report.

Any inaccuracies in the credit report may have been lowering your credit score. Lenders may have refused you credit because they thought you were a bad risk.

There are two other companies that compile credit reports. You can also get free credit reports from them. But Equifax is one of the giants of the industry and a company that is well trusted by lenders. Equifax has been providing credit reports for over a century. So take advantage of the FACT Act and get your free credit report from Equifax today. Your credit score need no longer be a mystery to you.



Hazel
 

Free Credit Report Online: Useful Tips

Charle Lawrence asked:


As per the Fair and Accurate Credit Transaction Act 2003, the top credit bureaus Equifax, Experian, and Trans Union offer online credit repots that too free. Credit reports are crucial for two reasons. Firstly, you can make out any error in your credit history and take effective measures within due time. Such an error may fetch you poor credit, which would contract your chances of finding financial aid in the near future at decent rates. The second reason is to ensure that there is no identity theft and your personal details are secured. With knowledge you can take required steps and make rectifications. Let us know all about free credit report online and how you can get one in a simplified manner.

Taking account of your credit score also benefits you prior to applying for loans, as it is taken as a parameter of your credibility. It also affects the interest rates of the loan amount and a good credit score lands you a better position to negotiate a beneficial deal with the lender. You can have three free credit reports from each bureau, once in a year. You can go through some of the authentic sites and order reports from different agencies at different time of the year. This is a sensible way to keep track over your credit status throughout the year. The online mode is advisable because it is fast and there are lesser chances of your report getting lost or misplaces due to any mishap.

Every bureau has its own set of questions for you to confirm your identity. This may include the balance on a specific credit card account. Just after your identity is verified, your report will be made accessible for you. However, always take care of the fact that you surf through authentic sites.



Milton