Credit Report GuideBy Lisa Hopkins

How to Order Your Credit Report

There are three nationwide reporting companies where you can order your free credit report:

Equifax:1(800)685-1111 or equifax.comExperian:1(888)397-3742 or experian.com TransUnion:1(800)916-8800 or transunion.com

When ordering your report you will be asked a few questions

such as…● Name● Address● Social Security Number● Date of Birth If you have moved in the last two years, you

may need your previous addressAll Information is kept confidential

Why Should You Get Your Credit Report?

Your credit report contains a lot of important information.

You need your credit report in order to get loansYour credit report can also keep you safe from

identity theft

How Long Does it Take to Receive your Credit ReportOrdering online will give you your report

immediatelyOver the phone or through the mail takes about

15 days

In What Situations are you Eligible for a Free

Report?If a company takes adverse action against you ,

then within 60 days of receiving notice of action that company is required to give you a free report

You’re also entitled to one free report a year if you’re unemployed and plan to look for a job within 60 days, on welfare, or your report is inaccurate because of fraud, including identity theft.

Otherwise, a credit reporting company may charge you for another copy of your report within a 12-month period

Why Should you Order From all Three Companies?

Nationwide credit reporting companies get information from different sources, so you would be seeing three different versions of your credit

The information may differ from company to company

It is not encouraged to order from all three at once. You should you stagger your requests so that you will be able to check your credit throughout the year instead of waiting a full year to do so again