Oct
21
Filed Under (Finance) by credit
credit report
Tomas Loden asked:


Can you trust online credit report services? That is the question that consumers are asking today, especially with the hundreds of offers that flood your e-mail in-box promising accurate credit reporting scores with just the click of a mouse.

The good news is that most, if not all of these companies, are legitimate and do in fact provide you the necessary information that is directly related to your credit report and your overall score, which depends on whatever particular credit bureau system the company uses to check your background with.

Free credit report services

Just about every credit report organization will offer you some type of “free” background check of your credit score. While this free report may not entail every detail that you would like to know in terms of your debts, there is some valuable information that can be obtained. However, you should know that these introductory offers are merely just to give you a taste of their product so that you can upgrade to the paid credit reporting services they offer.

Is it safe to submit your personal information for a free credit report service?

If you stick with the most popular credit reporting agencies then you should have absolutely no problem worrying about your personal information being delivered over the Internet such as your Social Security number, driver’s license, etc. This information is typically handled by a secure server and there is little need to worry about the credit form being hacked and stolen by an unauthorized user.

What credit bureaus are checked when using a free credit report service?

Since there are three main credit bureaus that most agencies use to locate and filter your debts and credit score information, this free reporting service may use one of these entities or a combination of all three.

The three national credit reporting organizations used by most businesses is Experian, TransUnion, and Equifax.

Remember, the most accurate scoring for your credit and history can only be obtained by having a combination of all three major credit bureaus. In other words, let’s say for example you sign up with a free reporting service and the information comes back only partially accurate. This means that you would need to upgrade to the paid service in order to get 100% up-to-date credit information.

Is it possible to contact the three national credit reporting agencies on your own, instead of relying on a paid service?

While utilizing a credit reporting service is the most efficient way of compiling your information into one easy-to-read scoring system, you can in fact request your credit history from the three major national credit bureaus. Below is the contact information for Experian, TransUnion, and Equifax:

1. Experian: The phone number is 1-888-397-3742 and Experian will send you your report by mail within seven to ten business days.

2. TransUnion: The contact number for TransUnion is 1-800-916-8800 and in most cases you will receive your credit report within seven business days.

3. Equifax: The phone number is 1-800-685-1111. Equifax is faster than most services and usually sends your credit report out to you within 48 hours.



IRA
Jun
26
Filed Under (Finance) by credit
credit report
Mike Clover asked:


Checking your free credit score report is probably one of the hottest topics these days. With the average American not being rich, and at times in need of a loan, they need to keep there credit score healthy. There will be situations where someone will need to pull your credit report. If you have bad credit, it may not be a good experience for you. There is lots of talk about annualcreditreport, but there is not much talk about not getting your credit score there. Annualcreditreport does provide you with a free credit report from all 3 credit bureaus, but you don’t get your scores. You can get this report once a year for free. A lot can happen to your credit report during a year’s time. Here are some examples.

Inaccurate credit report

Studies show that inaccuracies are common in credit reports and can harm your ability to get loans. Inaccurate information on your credit will cause harm to your credit rating. When your credit rating is jeopardized, so is the ability to get loans, good interest rates, or even that new “Dream Job.” Often there is human error involved in the reporting process. Creditors pay someone to report information about you. At times this information may have been keyed in incorrectly, and as a result your credit score drops.

Identity Theft Protection

Someone’s identity is stolen every 3 seconds. If you think about that, someone could be stealing your identity as you read this article. That is pretty scary. If an identity thief has got your information currently and is out using your credit, how would you ever find out without pulling your credit report? Maybe someone is out opening credit in your name, and charging up stuff. What ever the thief is doing, you are probably not going to find out about it until it’s too late. If you get credit report monitoring services set up, you would get e-mail alerts when critical changes take place to your credit report. Critical changes like someone opening credit in your name and out having a field day with your credit.

Conclusion:

Checking your credit report should not be a scary thing, it should be a positive thing. If you are managing your credit properly, then you will pull your credit in confidence. You will be able to go to creditors and get good interest rate loans with ease. Since a lot can happen to your credit in such a short time, you should get a copy of your free credit score report every 60 to 90 days. Checking your credit report once a year is asking for a disaster, and is total disregard for what is really going on out there Protect yourself by staying on top of your report. I would not wait for it to happen to you, check your free credit score report today.



RUEBEN