Free Credit Bureau Report

variety5160 asked:


I changed my name with ss when I was married over 10 years ago. I have a ss card with my new name, I have filed my taxes, no problem, I have had checking and savings accounts. When I go to Safeway or Walmart to cash a check I am told that my name and my ss number do not match. I called the number they gave me to find out what was up. I was told that the problem is either with the DVM or the credit bureaus, that I might have signed my name at some point where I used my middle initial instead of my full middle name like my drivers license has on it. I went to the DVM the info is correct. I can’t get a free online credit report because my info doesn’t match. I called the toll free automated line but that didn’t work because I don’t have a phone in my name. Any suggestions?

Nicole

ss_vector asked:


OK…so, I was denied for a line of credit, so I went to the credit bureau’s (Equifax’s) website to take a look at it for free, as it said the reason was debt. So, it asks me questions from the credit report, and it hit me as soon as it said that I had a mortgage…my parents’ debts were showing up under my name! I know that these debts aren’t in my name, or at least that they shouldn’t be. So, what could be the reason that the debt is on my credit? Also, how would I be able to fix this?
OK…I just got a credit report online (finally), and it seems that I don’t have any credit to begin with, so the question changes…what should I do to work on getting a line of credit?

Tammy

Navy Seal Wife asked:


My daughters fiance just got a letter in the mail from a collection agency last week.

He is 22 years old and has never had nor has he ever applied for any type of credit. The collection agency says it is for a loan from 2008. I had him go to annualcreditreport.com and get his free credit reports.

There are two accounts listed as charge-offs from 2008 (I am having trouble finding out exactly what they are but it appears one is for a credit card and the other must be the loan the collection agency is calling about.) The point is neither one is his.

It turns out that his stepmother and his father used his social security number and opened the loans, they admitted it. They also have a combined cable/dsl/phone service in his name and they owe $748.

He has went to the sheriffs office and we have a copy of the police report. I also had him file a complaint with the FTC.

My question is who do I need to send copies to to have this information removed from his credit file, the credit bureaus, the people reporting or both?

Also what do we send copy of the police report and any other information that we have?

Thanks to all who answer

Juanita

lwomar asked:


Okay, I purchased a car from a buy here pay here lot back in Jan 2006. I originally wanted a 2000 daewoo that had only 60k miles on it, and they gave me a down payment price of $1500. However when I got there, they jacked the down payment price of the Daewoo up to $2000 and suggested I look at another car. The car was a 2001 Saturn originally for $6500 & I put down $1500. Although they were buy here pay here, they said after 6 months of payments they would begin reporting my good payments to the credit bureau which they never did. I was ALWAYS on time with payments. However, in Mar 07 I decided to surrender the car back to them because the car had significant problems one being a problem with the transmission. I took it to a saturn dealership and the total cost to fix the car would have been $1800 which I did not have. I told the car lot about it and they basically said they don’t fix cars and see if I could find someone to do the job cheaper. I found a cheaper job of $1600 which wasn’t really much better. So as I continued to drive the car it began to get worse and I surrendered the car back to them. I had made $200 monthly payments from the time I bought it in Jan 06 to the time I returned it in Mar 07 and I even made my Mar payment before I turned it in. I get my free credit report, and see that they have placed it on my credit for a charge of $4600. WTF! How is that for a car that was originally $6000, minus the 14 months of payments I made? Also, it wasn’t a repossession. I took the car back to them and handed them the keys. If and I mean IF I owe anything, aren’t they supposed to take out for what they resold the car for? Can I dispute this charge on my credit report?

Matthew

Dave Joa asked:


Instant Online Access.

Today in the UK you can now have instant access to get your free credit report online.

But what are the benefits of being able to see this record of your credit history and the other details that the credit reference agencies hold about you on your personal credit file.

In order to look at every potential benefit that your credit report could give you, we need to look at what your credit report is used for.

Who Uses Your Credit Report And How?

Your free credit report in the UK will be used by financial institutions whenever you apply to them for credit cards, loans or mortgages and by other companies when you apply for any product or service that requires you to sign up for some form of credit, such as a mobile phone contract.

All these companies want to know your current credit rating and they will determine this using your credit score, which they calculate with their own company formula using information on your credit history and current credit status from a copy of your credit report.

This credit check will involve checking your credit report from one of the three credit reference agencies in the UK all of which gather relevant credit and personal ID information about you to create your credit file.

Failed A Credit Check?

If you fail a credit check and don’t get the loan or credit you applied for, you usually won’t be told why or which credit reference agency was used.

However, the details held on your credit report can help you find out what is causing your application to be refused.

The reason may not even be a valid one as it is very easy for a mistake, typing error or old inaccurate information to be held on one of your three credit reports.

Such errors may relate to your credit history or the other personal data on your credit record, which is used to confirm your identification and what you put on your application form.

Major Benefit

A higher credit score will help ensure that you get the loans or credit you want and that you will get a better rate of interest than if your credit rating were lower.

To ensure that your credit score and therefore your credit rating is as high as it can be you need to make sure that everything on all three of your credit reports is accurate and up to date.

You therefore need to get a copy of your credit report from each of the 3 credit reference agencies. Don’t assume that if one is correct that the others will be!

Fortunately you can get instant online access your credit report at each agency for free as all agencies are currently offering a free trial of their UK credit report service.

You should take advantage of this to check all three of our credit reports and fix them if you find any problems. Just talk to the relevant agency about how to get issues with your credit report resolved.

Remember however that this could take time so start as soon as possible, especially if you are planning to apply for a loan or other credit some time soon.

Other Benefits

Your credit reports are a great asset and should be checked and maintained just like you check you bank statements. If you don’t check them they could easily become your greatest liability.

Effective management of your credit report could save you a lot of money over time and ensure that you are not refused credit when you need it.

If you are going to apply for a loan or mortgage then it makes sense to check you credit reports before applying as failed applications will be recorded on your credit file and can lower your credit score making your next credit application even more likely to fail.

When you fix your credit reports and get your credit score to be as high as possible you will be able to borrow more money from lenders and get more credit and all at lower interest rates.

Checking you credit report regularly is a great way of making sure that your identity has not been stolen and used in fraud to steal money or pay for products and services using your personal details and your money.

Compare reports from different credit agencies to make sure that they are all the same because when you apply for credit you have no way of knowing which credit reference agency your potential lender will use.

So What Next?

It is very easy to check your UK credit reports and you can do this online for free.

So do it now before you forget to make the most of this opportunity.



Dana