Free Credit Reports – How to Get Them the Easy Way
Posted in Finance on 05/16/2010 11:29 am by
Ariel Pryor asked:
You are entitled free credit reports annually. Your free credit reports are available to you by law, let’s look at how to get them the easy way. There is no catch, no sign up offer, no upsell you must purchase, you have a right as a citizen to know what your credit report is, and the reporting bureaus are obligated to provide you your report for free, annually.
Why You Should Know Your Credit Score
Your credit score is used in nearly every facet of your life these days, often without your even being aware that it was a factor. Everyone for example has rented an apartment or a home at one time or another, and it is often the case that as a prospective tenant, a landlord will pull your credit to determine your worthiness. Consumer stores use your credit in order to determine your risk, insurance companies adjust their rates based on your credit score, and of course, it is used as a determining factor for the approval of loans and credit cards.
Your credit report rating is an assessment of your financial health, and lenders, banks, companies and other institutions use them to assess your trustworthiness at a glance. A clean credit report, therefore has a variety of advantages. Most credit reports are riddled with errors or inaccuracies and it is your duty as a good consumer to address these and make sure you are being summed up in an accurate fashion.
Beware Online ‘Free’ Credit Report Offers
Obtaining your credit report isn’t very difficult. One word of caution, beware of online services or companies that attempt to attract you with a free offer to obtain your credit score for you. These are the offers that are too good to be true, and the lure of a free report is used to up sell you or introduce you to other offers that you don’t necessarily need or want.
Getting Your Reports Is Easy
Your scores are kept by the three major reporting bureaus, Experian, TransUnion, and Equifax. The easiest way to obtain your free reports, mandated by law, is to use:
https://www.annualcreditreport.com/cra/index.jsp
Which is a free site setup by the three bureaus so that you have a centralized location to get all three easily and without hassle. It’s won’t take you more than a few minutes and you can get your scores from each of the bureaus fast. Expect a slight variance between the three reports, they typically do not match, and be sure to clean up any inaccuracies that you find that could be falsely distorting your credit score. The process of disputing and cleaning up your credit score isn’t too difficult either, if you don’t mind doing it yourself.
Lewis
You are entitled free credit reports annually. Your free credit reports are available to you by law, let’s look at how to get them the easy way. There is no catch, no sign up offer, no upsell you must purchase, you have a right as a citizen to know what your credit report is, and the reporting bureaus are obligated to provide you your report for free, annually.
Why You Should Know Your Credit Score
Your credit score is used in nearly every facet of your life these days, often without your even being aware that it was a factor. Everyone for example has rented an apartment or a home at one time or another, and it is often the case that as a prospective tenant, a landlord will pull your credit to determine your worthiness. Consumer stores use your credit in order to determine your risk, insurance companies adjust their rates based on your credit score, and of course, it is used as a determining factor for the approval of loans and credit cards.
Your credit report rating is an assessment of your financial health, and lenders, banks, companies and other institutions use them to assess your trustworthiness at a glance. A clean credit report, therefore has a variety of advantages. Most credit reports are riddled with errors or inaccuracies and it is your duty as a good consumer to address these and make sure you are being summed up in an accurate fashion.
Beware Online ‘Free’ Credit Report Offers
Obtaining your credit report isn’t very difficult. One word of caution, beware of online services or companies that attempt to attract you with a free offer to obtain your credit score for you. These are the offers that are too good to be true, and the lure of a free report is used to up sell you or introduce you to other offers that you don’t necessarily need or want.
Getting Your Reports Is Easy
Your scores are kept by the three major reporting bureaus, Experian, TransUnion, and Equifax. The easiest way to obtain your free reports, mandated by law, is to use:
https://www.annualcreditreport.com/cra/index.jsp
Which is a free site setup by the three bureaus so that you have a centralized location to get all three easily and without hassle. It’s won’t take you more than a few minutes and you can get your scores from each of the bureaus fast. Expect a slight variance between the three reports, they typically do not match, and be sure to clean up any inaccuracies that you find that could be falsely distorting your credit score. The process of disputing and cleaning up your credit score isn’t too difficult either, if you don’t mind doing it yourself.
Lewis