How To Get Equifax Credit Report?

How to obtain the Equifax Credit Report

Your credit report reflects information about your credit history, such as your payment history, balances owed to credit card companies, credit limits, number of credit inquiries, and other details. This information is applied in determining a credit score which is used by the lenders to assess the customers’ ability to repay a loan or credit card.

There are three big national credit reporting agencies or CRAs that have credit reports on consumers in the United States and they include Equifax, Experian, and Trans Union. Although the data reported to each CRA can be very similar, there may be some variations in the information you provide to the CRA. Therefore, one should occasionally review their credit reports from both the big three agencies to avoid an instance where the information contained is wrong.

In this article, we will therefore highlight the procedures for acquiring a copy of Equifax's credit report.

The first step to take would be to order your free annual Equifax credit report.

The Common Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) permits of the three principal CRAs, Equifax, EXPERIAN, and TRANUnion to offer you a free credit report every 12 months on request. It is an annual file update without your credit score but contains all the details in your credit file.

Application to get your FREE annual credit report from Equifax

Visit www. annualcreditreport. com. It is the only place where you can obtain your reports directly from the three CRAs.
Give basic account information such as your name, your current address, the last four digits of your SSN, and your date of birth to help Equifax verify your identity.
Select whether you can have your credit report in online access or writing. If you decide on the mail, you will receive the report within 7-10 days.
Closely scrutinize the report for any signs of folly or what you believe to be wrongdoing. Ensure you are aware of all the accounts and loans that are contained in the report. Also, check other details such as current and previous addresses, contact numbers, and other information.

If you have discovered any mistake or something that you feel is not right with your details, contact Equifax immediately to check and rectify.

How to obtain your Equifax report more often

Along with your complimentary annual credit report, you can obtain a copy of your Equifax credit report at any time – annually or more frequently – depending on your need to track identity theft or monitor credit closely.

To order an Equifax report beyond your free annual report:

Go to www. Equifax. com and you will see the link that says, “Get Your Credit Report. ”
To apply for a credit report, click on “Purchase a Credit Report”.
Select the type of report desired. A one-time report can be purchased, and clients can subscribe to monthly monitoring or purchase a quarterly monitoring product. Equifax’s reports, which can be of three main types, cost between $10 and $20 depending on the sort of report and subscription the consumer wants to make.
Give your information and pay to finalize the purchase. It is delivered to you electronically or by mail in the case of your credit report.

The report you can purchase directly from Equifax following the above procedure will also contain Equifax Credit Score for a fee that may cost about $8 to $10 depending on the type of report. Understanding your position in the eyes of the lender involves having a clear record of your credit score.

Equifax Credit Report: What Information About Me is Sent to Equifax Credit Information Services Ltd

Well then, let me tell you – what you will see when you obtain your Equifax credit report.

At a minimum, it contains these five major types of information:

Background details – This entails the holder’s name, current and former addresses, social security number and date of birth, and work experience. Assure yourself that every letter, number, name, date, and amount is accurate.
Credit history – It shows all the credit cards, retail charge accounts, auto loans, mortgages, student loans, installed shopping payments, and other accounts both open and closed. Others are account status, date the account was opened, credit limit or loan amount, monthly installment, and balance.
Credit history – If you have been making your payments on time, have delayed them, or even skipped them, this will be reflected in your accounts. The history of the incident usually dates back to at least 7 years prior.
Credit inquiries – Anytime you apply for credit, the credit reporting agency is contacted and the fact that an inquiry has been made is recorded. Inquiries, which are reported by credit reference agencies, drop off your credit file after 2 years.
Bankruptcies/foreclosures/tax liens/court judgments & other related records – these records will show on the report if they match on the public records database. Personal bankruptcy information will remain in your credit report for ten years.

Even if it does not require it, it is worth making sure that all the information listed above is correct, because mistakes can harm your credit history. Ensure that you report to Equifax any mistake or fraudulent activity to correct it as soon as possible.

Monitor Credit Regularly

While you may file for a free Equifax credit report once a year using www. annualcreditreport. com, it is advisable to monitor your credit more regularly by ordering the other reports from Equifax. It is recommended that you check your records at least once every 3 to 6 months to better spot certain issues.

Some signs of fraudulent activity and identity theft to watch for include:

Credit accounts or loans that you did not open, such as when a spouse or child applies for an account or loan.
This has resulted in wrong personal details such as unknown addresses
Inquiries made on your credit file through hard or soft means that you consider suspicious
There are times when there is an unfamiliar account with a certain amount of money and it is overdue.

In this way, when you learn of the problems early, you can limit the impact, notify Equifax to check it, and take further measures to safeguard yourself. Credit smart is not an easy thing to do but it makes sense to maintain it in the long run.

Challenging a Disputed Entry on Your Equifax Credit File

If you find something wrong with the information in the report or if there is information that is no longer accurate, you have to contact the bureau immediately and dispute it because the wrong information can be detrimental to your credit score.

Here are the next steps to dispute:

File the complaint on the web at www. equifax. com or send your written complaint to Equifax Information Services LLC, P. O. Box 740241, Atlanta, GA 30374-0241. Explain which details are wrong and attach copies of relevant documents you did not agree with.
As early as possible, you should submit your dispute. However, the FCRA mandates Equifax to investigate such matters within thirty (30) days. Most corrections can be made within this timeframe and you will be notified that the change is final.
However, if more time is required to research, Equifax may extend up to 45 days, though it will be required to report the progress within the first 30 days.
The bureau will also update or delete the disputed information as soon as they conclude that the information is incorrect. If this data is true and accurate then it will remain fixed.

Maintaining the Equifax credit report and ensuring that you are vigilant to check for any odd activity or error is a great way to ensure that you protect your credit score in the long run. It is safe to say that knowledge is power and prevention is better than cure when it comes to your financial credibility.

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