Getting free credit report
These days you are entitled to get free copy of your credit report once a year, so get it. As of Jan 1, 2004, due to the new the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) Act of 2003, all Credit Reporting Agencies (CRA) must give out one free credit report per year. Visit this site to learn how you can get a free annual credit report.
However, CRA is not required to provide your credit or FICO score for free. If you want to get your FICO score, it is going to cost you about $6 from each CRA. Also, the free reports are good for 30 days only, so make sure you to print them if you get them online.
According to FCRA, you can also get credit report free of charge if one of the following happened:
- You were denied credit, then you can contact CRA for free copy of your report within 60 days of receiving denial notice. The company you applied to must give you the CRA's name, address, and phone.
- You're entitled to one free copy of your report in any 12 month period if you certify in writing that:
- you are unemployed and plan to look for a job within 60 days
- you are on welfare
- your report is inaccurate because of fraud
Other sources to get credit reports
- Certain credit card issuers give free credit report to their customers - check Providian.
- You can get a free copy from your mortgage broker, especially if you just purchased or refinanced with this broker. Such tri-merged credit report will provide you with the most complete picture.
- You can order credit reports directly from the credit reporting agencies and pay for it. You should get you credit report at least twice a year to check for identity theft.
How to contact credit reporting agencies.
