credit report - Getting a Free Personal Credit Report Online

You are entitled to a free personal credit report from each of the three major credit reporting agencies if you have been recently turned down for credit. Checking your credit history ensures the information is accurate. Your credit affects your interest rates, insurance premiums, and even employment chances. Taking a few minutes to check your records protects you from paying for your creditors' mistakes. Why Check Your Credit Report Your credit report is used by a number of companies to make decisions about you. Financial lenders categorize your loan application based on your payment history. Life and car insurance rates are also based on your risk level based on your credit and life choices. Potential employers can also evaluate your application based on your credit report. Besides payment history, your report also includes records of being arrested, sued, taking out insurance policies over $150,000, and where you live. These items stay on your report permanently, unlike payment history that drops off after seven years. Where To Get Your Report You have a number of options for getting your report. By applying online, you can get your free report instantly. You can also call or write for a copy of your credit history, but you will have to wait 15 or more days to receive it. To get your credit report online, you can go directly to the sites of Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. You can also request your copy through a third party site. These sites also offer additional services, like providing you with your FICO score. You won't get that for free from the credit reporting agencies. What To Do With The Information Once you have received your credit report, look over it for any errors. Both the credit reporting agency and the information provider (bank, government agency, creditor, etc.) are responsible for fixing errors. Write to both parties explaining the error. The reporting agency will investigate your claim in usually less than 30 days. If an error is found, the information provider is responsible for notifying all three agencies of the mistake. However, it is also a good idea to check your records again. Be sure to keep copies of your letters until the matter is resolved on your report. And remember that every 12 months you can get a free copy of your credit report. To see our recommendations of where to get a copy of your credit report for free, visit this page: Recommended Sources for a Free Credit Report. Carrie Reeder is the owner of ABC Loan Guide, an informational website about various types of loans. Article Source:http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Carrie_Reeder credit report - The Truth About Credit Repair Services Advertisements from credit repair companies can be found on local newspapers, TV, radio, internet, and fliers on the mail and on the streets claiming that if you have credit problems they can help you, that they can remove your bad credit, that they can get you a new credit identity or that they can remove stains like bankruptcy, judgments, liens, late payments, missed payments, and even unpaid loans or credit card balances. Avoid Being Taken In Truth is that all the above claims are nothing but false advertising, no one can remove those marks from your credit report unless the information is false or inaccurate. If you are actually responsible for those delinquencies, only time and a continued proper credit behavior can improve your credit report. If these companies promise you they can fix your credit so you can get a new loan, credit card, store card, etc. right away, they are lying and you are probably facing a scam. Save your money and time and avoid paying for these companies' services. Only legitimate companies that state that credit repairing can take some time are saying the truth and can help you to repair your credit by teaching you budgeting, how to refinance your loans, how to consolidate your debt, etc. Avoid Legal Problems Moreover, being ripped off is not the only problem you may face. If you follow some of these companies' advice and try to invent a new credit identity and a new credit history by using an employer identification number instead of the social security number or by faking documentation, you may be charged with fraud and face serious legal consequences. Don't pay attention to companies that want you to claim that information on your credit report is false if it isn't or any other practices that you think are clearly illegal or immoral. Don't lie when submitting forms or other documentation nor when answering questions to lenders by phone. The conversations may be taped, the documents kept and used as proof to prosecute you for fraud. The Truth About Credit Repairing No one, in any way can remove correct information from your credit report in a legal way. Thus, if it isn't a scam, it's a crime. What can actually be done in order to repair your credit is to show a continued positive credit behavior. Some companies can teach you to do that and provide you with documentation and all the necessary tools for achieving your goals. It may take some time but it can be done with little sacrifices. However, there are no such things as magic solutions to your credit problems. Legit Credit Repair companies will teach you how to repair your credit by yourself. What they can actually do is to provide you with information that you'd be able to find for yourself but is spread all over the net and on different government agencies. They have all this information, forms and documents packed and easily explained so you can save yourself time and probably money too.