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How to Obtain a Free Credit File Every 12 months
A credit report is an exhaustive account of the credit behavior and credit history of the credit applicants. They comprise credit card information, loans, and other pertinent accounts. Your credit report is used to examine your credit worth if you ask for an overdraft on your credit card, for a new account, or a mortgage, automobile, or any other credit.
Under federal law, once every 12 months you are entitled to a free copy of your credit report from the three main credit reporting companies: Experian, TransUnion, and Equifax. These three companies maintain your credit history, often known as your credit file. The agency arranges the data in your files into a credit report. Annually reviewing your credit reports before you apply for credit can help you find indicators of identity theft and confirm that your information is current.
Through the website annualcreditreportcom, one may get a free annual credit report from each of the three agencies. Depending on the need and the kind of company, it is advised to take all three reports at one time or in a staggered way. This helps one to go over every report at least once every four months. If one has been greater than the other, it is simpler to find issues.
No other website is permitted to place orders to get the free annual credit report you are legally allowed to receive. This means that annualcreditreportcom is the only website that is official and is designed for this purpose alone. Some other sites may offer your reports for a lower price with additional hidden charges or may compel you to subscribe to some other products and services.
Requesting Your Credit Reports
The most convenient method of getting the reports is by going to the official Annual Credit Report website at annualcreditreportcom and following instructions on how to enter your details so that the site can confirm your identity. However, there are cases when patients can ask for the reports by phone or through the mail.
Online
Follow these steps to request your credit reports online: Follow these steps to request your credit reports online:
Visit annualcreditreportcom If you change your mind after clicking the button to request your reports, you can check the box to order all three reports If this is the case, you will be able to select the option of one free report from each of the credit reporting companies. Or you can decide to order one or two of your reports at a time if you do not want to overload the system. You will need to enter your name, address, Social Security number, and date of birth to ensure that the credit bureau recognizes you. If you have changed your residence in the past two years, you might need to give your old residence address. Additional questions on security, for example, the current amount owing on an account listed in your credit file. If you get the questions right, then you can be able to view the report, print the report, or even save the report. It provides an option to send requests to each agency for one free report and the frequency of usage must at least be once a year. The three options mentioned above are offered as a package and if you choose all three, you cannot purchase any other report from the website for the next year.
By Phone
If you would like to order your free credit reports by telephone then call 1 877 322 8228. This is similar to the website, the automated phone system will again request you to provide your social security number and other identification numbers. After the basic instructions, the different ways to ask for all three reports or only the specific one are displayed.
By Mail
If you are okay with having your credit reports mailed to you, you will have to fill out and mail a form which you can download from the FTC website at consumerftcgov. Or you can fill out the form online or you can send a written request to the company by phone at 1877 322 8228 where they will mail the form to you. The form is to be filled with your details such as your name, address, SSN, and date of birth.
Mail the completed form to Mail the completed form to:
Annual Free Credit Report Request PO Box 105281 Atlanta, GA 30348-5281
How Long Does It Take to Get Your Credit Reports?
If you select online, you ought to receive your reports instantly after entrusting your details with the company. Thus, when you request by phone, you get a chance to view your reports once your identity has been confirmed.
Nevertheless, if you request for Annual Credit Report Request Form by ordering through the mail, you will receive your reports in about 15 days of receipt of the form.
Understanding Your Credit Reports
If you are in a position to receive the reports, make sure that you go through each section of the report thoroughly. Key things to look for include: Key things to look for include:
These included – Ensuring that your details, including your name, address, or social security number are not misrepresented.
Credit cards/Loans/Accounts opened – Check and compare the list of credit cards and loans along with the other accounts to verify that all these accounts belong to you.
Account status – Confirm that the status in each account is as presented. For instance, the accounts that should be closed should be reflected on the statement as closed.
Inquiries – These are requests that are made by lenders for your credit information Credit inquiries are listed. Run through this to be able to know businesses that have pulled your credit report.
Collections or past due payment – while not necessarily indicating that a person is a bad credit risk, accounts that are in collections, returned checks, bankruptcy, or outstanding liens or wage attachments can all harm a credit rating. Go through all the negative items and make sure the data is correct.
Types of discrepancies might be signs of fraudulence or identity theft. It is essential to respond quickly to any posts containing false information and block or report any suspicious behavior in a personal account.
The best way to get your credit reports is directly from the credit reporting agencies or credit reference agencies, and this is the best way to have an idea of what is contained in your credit file when applying for any credit. Make sure you do not miss this chance to monitor your credit records without having to pay any fees for it annually. The most common reason why people should monitor their credit report regularly is because that makes it easier to spot such issues and keep good credit.
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