Credit Reports Galore

Jay asked:


I recently signed up for Identity Guard and they positioned that you would have access to your credit report and score constantly for 12.99 a month. Since i’m working to clear my report and improve my score, I thought being able to see it updated quickly would help. I have since found out that they only update the score and report once every 6 months which really doesn’t help me as just in the last month i’ve had items come off and I’m sure my scores have changed. Is there any service out there that give access to updated reports on a weekly or monthly basis with updated info or anything like that?

COLEMAN

kmsca5 asked:


I want to review my credit report and make sure everything is in order. I also want to see where my score is at right now. I heard there are several sites out there that offer this. I want to know from experience what is the best site, great service and price etc. Thanks all

RANDOLPH

Mel Jensen asked:


Every year consumers have the right to review their credit report for free. The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) requires that the three major credit bureaus (Equifax, TransUnion and Experian) provide you with your credit report. It is recommended that you take the time at least once a year to review your credit report. You can obtain information regarding the FCRA or the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) at www.FTC.gov.

The website can provide you with information regarding your rights and your right to obtain your annual credit report for free. A credit report provides information on where you live and your credit history. It also provides information on any legal issues you may have included being sued, arrested, or filed for bankruptcy.

This information is used to evaluate applications for credit, insurance, employment or renting a home. It is extremely important that you take the time to review your credit report and dispute any information that is not accurate on your report. This is often called disputing and can be done by the individual but is often very tedious and time consuming. A legitimate credit repair company such as Ovation Credit Services can obtain information from you about which items on your credit report is inaccurate and dispute that information for you until the information is correct. Credit repair is a legal way for you to correct information on your credit report that is inaccurate.

You can obtain your FREE credit report by one of three methods:

1. You can go online to annualcreditreport.com (be sure that you spell this accurately since there are many imposter sites).

2. You can phone 1-877-322-8228 and provide them with the necessary information.

3. You can obtain an Annual Credit Report Request Form (generally online at www.ftc.gov) and mail that to: Annual Credit Report Request Service, P.O. Box 105281, Atlanta, GA 30348-5281

No matter which way that you choose to obtain your credit report, you will need to provide some information. That information is your name, Social Security Number and date of birth. Sometimes you will need to also provide additional information to verify your identity. That information may include information that only you would know such as your monthly mortgage payment amount.

There are many imposter sites that will offer you a free credit report but only if you purchase one of their products. The authorized site may have some offers or additional products for sale but you are not required to purchase them to obtain your free credit report. That free credit report will have information from the three major credit bureaus.



WILBURN

Allison May asked:


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We often hear that a person’s credit report is very important because lenders, employers and even landowners check this document to measure one’s credibility and financial capability. But what really is inside your credit report? Do you really understand how it works? Let’s take a closer look on what your credit report is made of:

Inside Your Credit Report

Credit reporting agencies collect information from your creditors, debt collection agencies or from the court and compile all these information in one report. Everything listed here are considered to be accurate unless the owner of the credit report files a dispute about certain details in his report. However, if the information is correct –whether positive or derogatory - it will stay on your credit report for up to seven years.

Information that is contained in a credit report include a person’s full name, Social Security Number, date of birth, past and present home addresses, phone numbers, Driver’s license number, employment history and other personal details. If you do find any error, you must notify the credit reporting bureaus immediately and request that these details be corrected.

Liens, wages, foreclosures, bankruptcies and other public records are included in a credit report. It also contains a comprehensive summary of a person’s accounts from all his creditors or lenders regardless of what type of debt it is. It presents charges, penalties, date of payments, amount of debt, credit limit and everything that has to do with a person’s credit.

Credit Report and Inquiries

Each time a creditor or a company makes an inquiry about your report is also included. This is why consumers are warned against submitting too many applications from various lenders and banks all at the same time. Too many inquiries in your credit report can damage your score especially if you have been rejected by a lender.

However, personal inquiries are not regarded as negative and will not affect your credit score. In fact, it is recommended to inquire about your personal credit report at least twice a year so that you can be updated with the status of your credit history and score.

The three major credit bureaus are Experian, Equifax and TransUnion. Each of these agency works independently in reporting a person’s credit history. Thus, if you have any dispute about your credit report, see to it that you advise all three of these credit bureaus so that corrections can be made in your report accordingly.

The Fair Credit Reporting Act protects all consumers from fraud and ID theft by ordering all credit bureaus to do the necessary corrections immediately if a person claims a dispute in his credit report.

If you own a business, you can also apply for a separate credit history for your company from two major business credit trackers in the US- Dun and Bradstreet and Experian. The credit score for a business account is known as Paydex and this is the one used by lenders and financial providers in approving business loans.



MARK

Cole asked:


I filed bankruptcy, chapter 7, in 2004, but I’ve just noticed that all the major credit reporting agencies are reporting inaccurate information. My case number is inaccurate on all three as well as what type of court my bankruptcy was filed in, and one even has the date wrong. I’ve also read that the credit reporting agencies will never be able to verify this information to fix it because courts will not verify over the phone, and therefore will have to remove it from my credit. Is this true?

GENARO

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.



GRANT

lmg asked:


I know that an old account will be deleted from your credit report 7 years from “last activity”. But what is “last activity”? Last payment? Last purchase on the credit card? Last contact with the company? Do the 3 credit bureaus have different definitions? Or do companies and collections have different definitions?

FELIPE

Sean Patrick asked:


Your credit report and score tells lenders whether or not you are a good risk for a loan. Your credit history, payments, and account information are on this report. Your FICO score is also an important factor for lenders. The information contained in your credit report is used to generate your FICO score which acts as your credit “report card”. A FICO score is not the same as your regular credit scores. It uses different set of rules & algorithms for coming up with your credit score. And many lenders utilize the FICO score to determine your creditworthiness. Therefore it may be prudent to see what’s on your FICO score as well before applying for a loan.

Often the information contained in your credit report has some inaccuracies. This is why it’s important to check your credit report on a regualr basis. At least once a year to ensure that the information is correct and up to date.

Reasons you should check your credit report include:

* Basic Inaccuracies

Payments that’s have been made, but not credited to you. Late payments or having someone else’s date (especially if the names are similar) being mixed in with yours. If you notice inaccurate information, you must contact the credit reporting agency to get the mistake corrected.

* Tracking Payments

Many times, checks sent through the mail do not reach the accounting office of the company on time, or get lost in the mail. Such late or missed payment issues could be posted on your credit file. Therefore you would need to correct this information by contacting the creditor. If you don’t read your credit report, you will not know which payments have been received and properly reported.

* Identity Theft

Identity theft is one of the fastest growing crimes in thw U.S. It’s one that has caused people to have poor credit ratings because someone has received credit or loans in their name and defaulted on the payments. Your credit report will show you the list of accounts that have been opened in your name. Check them carefully to ensure they match your personal financial details.

* Inquiries

Your credit report will list the names of companies or persons who have requested information regarding your credit history. Read them carefully to make there’s no fraudulent activity and/or unauthorized entry that could be related to id theft. Also, too many inquiries are seen as unfavorable by lenders and will make it harder to obtain loans.

* Credit Fraud - Unauthorized Charges

Credit fraud involves the unauthorized use of your credit cards or account number to make charges on your account. Sometimes this is done so subtly that you do not notice the extra charges on your monthly statement. By viewing your credit report, you will be able to catch new activity on your accounts, especially if they are ones you haven’t been using.

When it comes to managing your credit worthiness, your credit report is your best resource. Viewing your credit report gives you the opportunity to manage your credit wisely. While planning a credit strategy to achieve future goals, you should regularly review your credit report to ensure an excellent credit rating.

*Free Credit Report Services

Free credit report services are not created equal. With some services, you’re able to see what’s on your credit report and score from all 3 major credit bureaus online - TransUnion, Equifax, and Experian. This is important because the data contained in one credit bureau file may not match what’s on the others. Also, various lenders may choose to see one or more of your credit files. So it makes sense to obtain the most comprehensive report. And most services do not provide a free FICO score. You only get to see what’s on your regular credit scores. These are some of the reasons why it makes sense to do your homework and make comparisons between the features they provide.



BRYCE

ffrankon1 asked:


I know there is a government sponsored program that will provide free credit reports from all three reporting agencies once a year. Does anyone know the specific web site to obtain these or a phone number to call?

ANDRE

Emanuele Allenti asked:


TRW is a company that handles requests from individuals to see their credit report. A TRW free credit report is only a letter away. You can contact them and request your credit report to be sent to you and they will make sure that you get your credit report. You may ask “Well why should I get a TRW free credit report when I know that my credit score is as good as it ever was?”–Because you don’t know if it is as good as you think. There are millions of people who have their details upgraded everyday and what if some of the details get mixed up with yours?

Large companies recommend that you get your credit reports get delivered to you at least once a year. A TRW free credit report will let you know if there are any mistakes in your credit report. There are not many people that have problems with their credit reports, but some people’s information can be out of date or just totally incorrect. If you receive your TRW free credit report and it is out of date or incorrect, then this can cause many problems.

An incorrect credit report can mean that you will be denied job opportunities, denied for credit cards and also trouble in securing yourself insurance. If that does happen then TRW are not to blame; their records may be out of date, especially if you have only just applied for a loan the previous day prior to receiving your TRW free credit report. A TRW free credit report can be obtained more then once, the only problem is that you will lose the word free. If you have received your annual TRW credit report, but would like to receive another report you will have to pay a fee. That fee can be between $3 and $8 depending on which state you live in. It may sound tough but they are trying to protect your credit report as much as they can.

Citibank doesn’t seem interested in expanding to offer customers the option to check their credit reports. They are leaving that to credit reporting agencies. However, Citibank does provide customers with credit report information to teach them how they can continue to increase their credit scores on reports every single year. And they don’t just tell you to stick to a budget; they also offer you a lot of other useful information. If you haven’t heard of the three C’s of good credit, then you should head on over to the Citibank credit report information webpage. This Citibank credit report information webpage is jam packed with great ideas to keep your credit rating well over 600 without any chance of losing ground without knowing.

The Citibank credit report information webpage also gives you a small example of how to control your debt and how to make those monthly repayments. When Citibank was creating this webpage, they must have put a considerable amount of time into determining what tools would help customers best. To be honest, this is one of the best available credit report information pages. If you are looking to rebuild your credit rating or you want to apply for credit, then the Citibank credit report information webpage will give you all the information that you need.

If you have just received your credit rating, and it wasn’t what you expected, then you are probably trying to figure out how to repair it, which is probably why you came here. If you do need to seriously repair your credit rating, then you should give the Citibank credit report information webpage a look. Citibank is a reliable company that provides customers with powerful solutions. They may just have exactly what you need to repair your credit.



DANIEL