Getting A Free Credit Report Legally
Check your free credit report at least once a year. It’s necessary for you to get an up-to-date report about your credit condition. Your credit condition is reflected on your credit score that is determined by reviewing several crucial factors. These include your repayment habits, amount of outstanding debts, numbers of accounts that you have, and so on. If your credit score is satisfactory, you are not likely to return empty handed in your loan venture. But if your credit score is bad, you might be right away rejected for a loan. Hence, keeping track of your free credit report is a very useful practice.
It’s a credit healthy thing if you check your free annual credit report on a regular basis. Creditors determine whether to give you credit or a loan and determine how much you have to pay based on the information in your credit report. The three national credit bureaus, Experian, Equifax, and Trans Union, collect information from your creditors about how many credit cards and loans you have and how many accounts are late, overdue, or in collection. They sell the information in your file to creditors who determine if you would get a loan and how much interest you would have to pay on a credit card. This information about how much credit you have and how capable you are of paying your bills can even be used to decide if you get a job, a new cell phone service, an apartment lease, or a car insurance.
Even if you think your credit history is good, you should still get a copy of your free credit report. You might find anything from old accounts to errors to outright identity theft. You shouldn’t be the last to know what’s in your file.
Depending on where you live, you can now get copy of your free credit report from the three major consumer reporting companies. Consumers in 13 western states are the first to be able to place orders under a new law. Under the state laws, consumers in seven states can already get their reports for free.
These states are Colorado, Georgia, Maryland, Maine, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and Vermont. From 2005 consumers in the rest of the states can start getting free reports.
A free credit report contains a lot of your personal information. Right from your name, your address (present and past), your social security numbers, your phone numbers, to your spouse’s name-all are clearly mentioned in your free credit report. Moreover, your credit report contains information about late payments reported by utility companies, hospitals, landlords, and others. Therefore, it’s important for you that you know your legal rights as a consumer. The Federal Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) and state laws decide who all have access to your sensitive credit information and what uses can be made of it. Besides, the big three credit-reporting agencies have also adopted voluntary guidelines to enhance the efficiency of their customer service. In general, your rights as a consumer include the following points:
- Obtaining a free credit report from any of the three national credit bureaus. Based on the rollout schedule set by the Federal law, your state of residence determines your eligibility for getting a free credit report.
- Knowing who has a right to receive a copy of your free credit report.
- Disputing over inaccurate information.
- Having negative information on your report explained.
- Never allowing any credit reporting agency to use your information for marketing purposes.
- Contacting the suitable government agency or filing a lawsuit against an agency that has shown illegal and fraudulent action against your name.
By law, you are entitled to get a copy of your credit report for free. But remember, there is usually a charge for reports, unless your request comes within 60 days of having been denied credit, employment, or insurance as a result of a credit report. Credit bureaus also provide free credit reports under some other circumstances. You are entitled to one report free of charge per year if you certify in writing that: you are unemployed and plan to look for a job within 60 days, or you are on welfare, or your report is inaccurate because of fraud.

