Free Credit Bureau Report

Francine Denson asked:




There some confusion out there when it comes to free credit reports. You have likely seen the many articles that are floating around that state that you can get your free credit report, but just what does a free credit report consist of? In this article will will look at the differences in the 3 different types of credit reports advertised and learn more about which one is the most beneficial to have.

Type #1) Single Credit Bureau Report

One type of credit report is one where you can get a report from only one of the three bureaus. These three bureaus are Equifax, Trans Union and Experian; most of the time with this type of report you will have to choose one of these companies to get your report from. This may not help you very much because each of the three bureaus differs a bit in the content they report. You would probably benefit more from a 3-1.

Usefulness: C-

Type #2) 3-1 Credit Report

A 3-1 report would include a report from each of the three bureaus. The advantage to this is you get all three reports. The downside is that you get only one score from one bureau. It would be more sensible to receive all three of the bureaus scores. Mortgage companies look at the three scores and usually go by the one in the middle. I would only be logical to see what they see if you are attempting to get a loan.

Usefulness: B

Type #3) 3-1 Credit Report With Credit Scores

This brings us to the third type. This is the 3-1 credit report that included all three scores. This is the best offer there is due to the fact that this is what lenders look at. You will want to ensure that you know what you are getting when you request a credit report.

Usefulness: A+

Every consumer is entitled to one free report from each of the three bureaus annually, but this does not include a credit score. By using the services of on of the popular online free credit report sites, you can get instant access to not only your credit reports but your credit scores as well. You would be best off off obtaining a 3-1 with all three scores so you can have a clear view of what lenders are looking at when deciding whether or not to approve your loan.

Jill

Marc Sumner asked:




There are a number of ways in which you can have a collections agency reporting to your credit report. Most of the time it’s due to past due bills that were either overlooked or just never paid. You should know there are ways that you can try to fight this to attempt to raise your FICO score. This will in turn raise your buying power because you’ll be able to borrow more if you need to.

Every person has the ability to get one free copy of their credit report each and every year. All you have to do is make a request for it and it’s available to you either by mail or within a few seconds online. Most people don’t understand that you can dispute charges on your credit report.

What happens when you dispute these different collections charges on your credit report is that they will have 30 days to respond to the dispute, otherwise it’s marked as invalid. Most companies will respond to these disputes so all you will need to do is to negotiate with these collection companies and let them know you will pay off your debt sooner if they can remove this from your credit report.

What you should understand is that collection agency reps main goal is to get you to pay off the debt. So getting them to remove this shouldn’t be a problem if you can work out something with them to pay off what you owe.

Remember that 1 in 4 credit reports contain some sort of error that could be lowering your credit score without you knowing it!

Natalie

Ryan asked:


I’m looking to get my credit -score-, not credit report (I already know the 3 bureaus have to give you a report once a year), but I don’t want to sign up for one of those 30-day free trials that are all over the internet and have telemarketers calling me and hassling me when I try to cancel. Anyone have suggestions how to get the number itself without paying or signing up for anything?

Annette

Mark Andrade asked:




In addition to disputing incorrect information on your credit report, you can also add accounts to it that make you look more credit worthy. If, when you review your report, you noticed accounts that were not listed on it that paint you in a positive light, you can ask the credit reporting agencies to include these accounts on your report. Doing so will help in your quest to build a more positive credit rating and higher credit score.

There are three types of information you might want to have added to your credit history to build your score:

Explanation of any incomplete or disputed information Positive account histories not included in your report Information demonstrating reliable payment and employment, stability

Often credit reports don’t include accounts that you might expect to find. For instance, some major commercial lenders don’t report mortgages or car loans. Also, local banks or credit unions frequently don’t provide information to credit reporting agencies.

If your credit report is missing credit histories for accounts you pay on time, send the credit reporting agencies a Letter Requesting Inclusion of Accounts, along with copies of recent account statements. Ask the credit bureau to add information on these accounts to your file. While the agencies aren’t required to add account histories, they often do, but you might be charged a fee.

Another option is to go straight to your creditor and ask that they report the information directly to the credit reporting agencies. However, some creditors categorically refuse to do this as they only report to one or two agencies and won’t consider changing their standard business practices. But it’s worth a try.

You may find that credit histories for accounts you pay on time are only missing from one or two credit reports. The third report might already include all your accounts or maybe you focused on cleaning up that report first. If this applies to you, send the agencies with the missing information a copy of your all-inclusive report with a letter asking the missing data be added to your file.

Creditors also like to see verification of stability so consider asking any evidence you have of that be added to your account. Creditors are most likely to add updated information on employment and residences because it’s used in evaluating credit applications. However, if your report is missing data or contains obsolete or incorrect information on your phone number, date of birth, or social security number it is beneficial to update those as well to reduce the risk of account mix-ups.

Once you’ve repaired your credit, request a copy of your report from each credit bureau. You are entitled to one free credit report from each of the credit reporting agencies annually. Look for anything old or inaccurate. Conducting an annual credit check and adding positive accounts previously omitted, can help ensure you maintain the highest credit ratings possible and avoid being a victim of identify theft.

Manuel