Get a Free Credit Report
Credit management is a leading American issue. Approximately 30
million Americans struggle with some form of poor credit. The quest
to repair bad credit, must start with the knowledge of your
current credit standing. The only way to do this, is to request
a copy of your credit report.
There are myriad of credit reporting organizations that are
willing and able to sell you a credit report, however you are
entitled to a free credit report per the Fair Credit
Reporting Act (FCRA).
The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) requires each of the
Nationwide Consumer Reporting organizations (Equifax, TransUnion
and Experian) to provide you with one free credit report every
12 months per your request. This means that you are entitled to
three free credit reports per year, if you deem it necessary.
You can stagger the requests or order all of them at the same
time.
To obtain your free credit report online, you must go to www.annualcreditreport.com. This is the only
official website that provides a free credit report. Consumers
from all 50 states are eligible for the free report. The offer
is extended to residence in the Eastern states, District of
Columbia and Puerto Rico as of September 1, 2005. You can also
order your free credit report by calling the toll-free number
1-877-322-8228 or mailing your Annual Credit Report Request
form to:
Annual Credit Report Request Service
P.O. Box 105281
Atlanta, GA 30348-5281
You will need to provide name, address, Social Security number,
and date of birth. If you have changed your place of residence
within the last two years, you will need to provide a previous
address. Do not contact the Consumer Reporting Agencies
directly, they only provide free credit reports through the
three methods mentioned (phone, website or mail).
If you request your credit report online, you should be able to
get it immediately. If you order your credit report by phone or
by mail, you can expect to get it within 15 days of the request.
Once you have obtained your free credit report, verify
the information and fix any
errors.
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