Free Annual Credit Report

With so many people making purchases online these days, the ability for a hacker to steal your identity is easier than ever.  Credit cards registered under your name without you ever knowing can cost you big when it appears on your credit report.  Experian, one of the three major credit bureaus, is leading the way in reporting accurately how well your credit score is doing.  If you have a current Experian report, simply log in to the member center and dispute any purchasing that was never done by you.  If you haven’t already requested a free annual credit report from Experian, simply give them a call, order one online, or write a request for one.

One thing many people don’t know is that if you are constantly changing employment and have an unstable history of residence, it can cause you to drop your credit score.  A drop in your credit score can affect you with even the simple decision of renting a vehicle.  Getting a free annual credit report from Experian will prove to be helpful when seeing if your change of residence has affected your credit score.

Experian is merely an accumulator of information about your credit score and presents it to you fairly and accurately.  It is ultimately your responsibility to take advantage of the annual free credit reports that are offered by bureaus like Experian.  If there is a discrepancy or problem with your credit score, especially when you know it’s not your fault, it is your duty to point these problems out and get them fixed.

In your credit report you will find information about your consumer history, bankruptcy information, money and loan information about you, and finally credit information.  You will know when your new credit card accounts were opened, balances in these accounts, and even collection activity.  When looking at this information, be sure to look out for any fraudulent information that you know cannot be attributed to you.

What’s great about an Experian credit report is that it will give you an excellent snapshot of your credit health.  Important information like your payment history, the number and age you began your credit lines, how long you have had a credit history, the types of accounts you currently have, the total credit available to you and how much you’ve used, and the number of inquiries on your report might all be information important for you to know to prevent identity theft or to improve your timeliness of your payments.

It might feel as if credit bureaus control your life.  After all, they have the last word if you get a loan, or if you can get a new job.  You might feel so controlled by credit bureaus that you forget they can actually help you.  When you get your credit report from the three credit bureaus, you can actually have protection.  That is because the bureaus may not have accurate information about you.  You can end up missing out on the things good credit can bring just because you have failed to utilize the information of the three credit bureaus.  You can protect yourself by analyzing all three reports and then working to make sure they are all accurate.

First, understand that not every credit bureau has the same information.  That is because not every creditor reports to every bureau.  You need to make sure you look at all three reports so you can make sure all have accurate information.  You might have fraudulent information on Experian, but your TransUnion report could be accurate.  Or your car loan could report to Equifax, but it does not report to the other two.  You need to know what the credit bureaus have about you so you can work to consolidate all of them. You need to make sure they all have accurate information and they all have the positive credit information that will help you.  The best way to get your credit report is to go to www.annualcreditreport.com and get a free copy from each major credit bureau.  You can get a free copy from the site every year.  You will then be able to analyze the reports and make sure they are accurate.

You also need to make sure all three credit bureaus have all of the right personal information about you.  Some files do not have the most up to date information.  This can hurt you when your identity is checked through a credit file.  You want to make sure the credit file has all of the right information that is up to date.  That means it needs the right address, your birthday, and your place of employment.  All of these things are very important in regards to your credit file.  If you notice a mistake, you need to contact the credit bureau immediately.  You will likely have to send in the correct information so they can correct their files.  While you might think all credit bureaus work to have the most accurate information, there are often inconsistencies in regards to personal information.  It only takes a few minutes to check this information, and it is very important.

You want to make sure you have your records from all credit bureaus so you can maintain an accurate file.  Having good credit is not the only important thing in regards to your credit.  You also need to make sure all information is accurate.  You do not want to be held back due to false information on your credit report.  Keep all three reports on hand so you can make sure only accurate information is reported.  You will then be able to maintain your credit worthiness.

Experian Free Credit Report

Experian is one of the three main credit bureaus that also include TransUnion and Equifax. Like the other major credit reporting bureaus, Experian is chiefly regulated in the United States by the Fair Credit Reporting Act. The Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act, signed into law in 2003, amended the FCRA to require the credit reporting companies to provide consumers with one free copy of their credit report per 12 month period. Like its main competitors, TransUnion and Equifax, Experian markets credit reports directly to consumers. Experian heavily markets its for-profit credit reporting service, FreeCreditReport.com. However, if you are interested in your Experian Free Credit Report, then you can obtain it through our GoFreeCredit partner at Free Annual Credit Report.

Experian handles its credit disputes in its National Consumer Assistance Center (NCAC) in Allen, Texas. You may contact the NCAC once you have a copy of your personal credit report by calling the number that is located on the Experian Free Credit Report itself. Experian announced that it would be opening a second NCAC in Santiago, Chile during the summer of 2007. Many divisions of the Allen NCAC will be relocated to the Chile location.

Experian provides regional data at nationalscoreindex.com which shows average credit scores by region and zipcode as well as various other measures of household debt. The site does not indicate if it uses a FICO based credit score, the new VantageScore, or some other scoring model.

In addition to its own site, Experian also runs the https://www.annualcreditreport.com/cra/index.jsp along with Transunion and Equifax, which is the official Government Credit Reporting site.