Posts Tagged ‘Accurate Credit’

Credit Report Service – Are Free Credit Report Services Legitimate?

Posted in Finance on 01/15/2011 06:41 pm by
Tomas Loden asked:




Can you trust online credit report services? That is the question that consumers are asking today, especially with the hundreds of offers that flood your e-mail in-box promising accurate credit reporting scores with just the click of a mouse.

The good news is that most, if not all of these companies, are legitimate and do in fact provide you the necessary information that is directly related to your credit report and your overall score, which depends on whatever particular credit bureau system the company uses to check your background with.

Free credit report services

Just about every credit report organization will offer you some type of “free” background check of your credit score. While this free report may not entail every detail that you would like to know in terms of your debts, there is some valuable information that can be obtained. However, you should know that these introductory offers are merely just to give you a taste of their product so that you can upgrade to the paid credit reporting services they offer.

Is it safe to submit your personal information for a free credit report service?

If you stick with the most popular credit reporting agencies then you should have absolutely no problem worrying about your personal information being delivered over the Internet such as your Social Security number, driver’s license, etc. This information is typically handled by a secure server and there is little need to worry about the credit form being hacked and stolen by an unauthorized user.

What credit bureaus are checked when using a free credit report service?

Since there are three main credit bureaus that most agencies use to locate and filter your debts and credit score information, this free reporting service may use one of these entities or a combination of all three.

The three national credit reporting organizations used by most businesses is Experian, TransUnion, and Equifax.

Remember, the most accurate scoring for your credit and history can only be obtained by having a combination of all three major credit bureaus. In other words, let’s say for example you sign up with a free reporting service and the information comes back only partially accurate. This means that you would need to upgrade to the paid service in order to get 100% up-to-date credit information.

Is it possible to contact the three national credit reporting agencies on your own, instead of relying on a paid service?

While utilizing a credit reporting service is the most efficient way of compiling your information into one easy-to-read scoring system, you can in fact request your credit history from the three major national credit bureaus. Below is the contact information for Experian, TransUnion, and Equifax:

1. Experian: The phone number is 1-888-397-3742 and Experian will send you your report by mail within seven to ten business days.

2. TransUnion: The contact number for TransUnion is 1-800-916-8800 and in most cases you will receive your credit report within seven business days.

3. Equifax: The phone number is 1-800-685-1111. Equifax is faster than most services and usually sends your credit report out to you within 48 hours.

Jeffrey
 

Free Credit Score Report – How to Really Get One Without Paying

Posted in Finance on 12/21/2010 03:53 am by
Bob Randooke asked:




Back when I was young adult if I wanted check credit score I had to actually pay to view it. These companies make a lot of money just from a simple service like this, but thanks to the law that was passed a few years back we are now entitled by to one free credit report from the major three companies every year, which are Equifax, Experian, and Trans Union. The problem here is that most people haven’t done enough to diligence to know this simple fact. Instead they respond to an e-mail from an online an online site that promises to give them an accurate credit report for free, but they end up asking you to pay a fee for this report.

These so-called free credit reports scam companies are also all over the Internet and mix in really well with the truly free credit score report agencies. The key here is to look at the fine print. The scam companies put in fine print that they will charge your credit card for their credit monitoring services after 30 days. Just remember to read the fine print before clicking or giving permission to access your credit report from any online company. While filling out any credit report application if they ask for any more than the basic info from you and they are probably a scam company.

Never give away your credit card information for any service that is supposed to be given to you free by law. If you are still confused you can go straight to the official FTC website where they will give you free information on how to get a free credit report and avoid being scam.

Now that you’re on with the knowledge and have gotten your free credit report hopefully you will start to work on raising your credit score and become a dependable borrower again.

Vernon
 

Free Credit Reports – The Real Deal

Posted in Finance on 09/23/2010 07:36 pm by
Marilyn Katz asked:




It seems like every time I turn on the TV, I see a baby faced rocker singing about how he had some really bad luck because he had not visited a certain credit reporting website. The tune is quite catchy. And while we may all be able to sympathize with the quirky situations, we may also want to “get our knowledge on” before signing up for this service.

Are free credit services they really free?

If a major company is spending a lot of money to promote this website, how can it be free? Well, actually you do need to give them a credit card number along with your other registration information. As a convenience to members, you also get enrolled in a service that monitors your credit. But hold on. This additional service is not free. If a member does not cancel within a short period of time, they will see monthly credit card charges for an online credit monitor.

Did you sign up for that?

The company does say they publish this information. But if we can judge by 11,000 Better Business Bureau complaints, the notice may not have been plain enough. Now, after so many complaints, the company says they are changing the way they are publishing this information.

Those of us who have been online for awhile know that most free offers come with some sort of catch. In this case, the service really was free. It was also just really easy to miss the fact that the service came with automatic enrollment in another service with a monthly charge!

US Federal Law Gives You Free Credit Reports

You can get a free credit report with no catches though. Look at this website:

www.annualcreditreport.com

It is run by the three major credit reporting services: Equifax, Experian and TransUnion.

This website is run by the three major agencies in order to be compliant with federal law. This law is the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act (FACT).

Consumers are urged to review their credit reports periodically. Many consumers find simple errors, that are easy to correct. These errors can cost a lot of money in the long run.

Why Check Your Own Credit?

Many consumers do not even know they can get a free report. Even if they do know, a lot of people never bother to do it. They do not understand why it is that important.

You know that people with better credit scores pay less and get better terms when they do borrow money. This can also impact other areas of your life. Some employers ask for credit reports when they screen job applicants. Even insurance companies are starting to look at them too. Some insurance companies will not offer their best rates for people with recent credit issues.

Many people find simple errors when they check their credit. I, myself, have found duplicate entries. This made it look like I had borrowed a lot more money than I had. It was very simple to dispute the errors and get them resolved. You can find instructions on the website.

Since this information is so important, and since it can affect your life, there is no reason to be running blind.

Antonio
 

Free Credit Report – Really

Posted in Finance on 08/31/2010 09:29 pm by
George Burk asked:




2005 marks the year that consumers will be able to get a free credit report each year. The roll out of the Fair and Accurate Credit Transaction Act signed into law by President Bush actually began last December 1. If you didn’t know about it, don’t worry. You haven’t missed the boat. Not everyone is eligible to get their credit report. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is allowing the credit bureau’s to implement the program piecemeal so as not to overload the new credit report system. Millions of consumers are expected to take advantage of the free reports.

Last December, consumers from Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming were able to take advantage of the free credit report. Next March, the Midwest will have access to free credit reports. The South has to wait till June, and the East must wait until September 2005.

After your eligible, you can request you free credit report from a web site, by calling a toll free number, or by requesting it in writing. The web site address is AnnualCreditReport.com. This website was created by the credit bureaus. The toll free number is (877)-322-8228, which is also (877)-FTC-HELP if that’s easier to remember. The address to write to is Annual Report Request Service, P.O. Box 105281, Atlanta, GA., 30348-5281. You will not be asked to sign up for a trial subscription for a credit monitoring service after requesting your credit report.

Your not limited to one free credit report a year. You can request three – one from each of the credit bureaus: Exper

 

Tips On How To Obtain A Free Credit Report Without A Credit Card

Posted in Finance on 07/12/2010 06:54 pm by
Tim Gorman asked:




Even though everyone in United States now has a right to obtain a free credit report annually from each of the three main credit bureaus, Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion, there is still considerable doubt among consumers as to whether they can get a credit report without having a credit card.

In fact having a credit card is not required to get your credit report. Everyone is free to have a look at his financial records without any charge whatsoever once a year. This is mandated by law. However many (in fact almost all) of online credit report providers that offer free credit card reports use credit cards as a method to verify the identity. This is one of the main reasons for the confusion. Consumers should be wary of using such services and they must go through the small print.

In any case there is no need for a credit card to obtain your free credit report and you can bypass the need to go through other online sites when you can obtain the credit report from the legally mandated source site. All you have to do is to visit the central website maintained by the three main credit bureaus to provide the free credit reports according to the provisions of The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) and Fair and Accurate Credit Transaction Act (FACT). This website is named annualcreditreport.com and once you complete the form there, you can almost immediately see your credit report.

You will be asked for proof of identity but it will not be your credit card. You will be asked to provide your name, address, date of birth, and social security number. If you have changed residence you will be asked to provide previous address. In addition the credit bureau from which you requested the report will ask you to answer a question, the answer to which only you may know. Questions may change from one bureau to another, but they will most likely comprise employment history, previous addresses or telephone numbers.

You can also request your free credit report through the toll free telephone number or through the mailing address provided by the three credit bureaus. Using that method you will get the report within 15 days of the request.

Federal Trade Commissions which mandated the law for receiving your annual credit report free of charge has given notice that only one website has the authority to provide your free annual credit report. That website is annualcreditreport.com. They also warn of other websites that offer free credit reports, but with the catch of having to signup for credit monitoring. It should be noted that the only true way of receiving your report without having to register for other services is to contact the credit bureaus directly. This is done either via the website, telephone or through postage mail.

Since you can request the credit report from each of the three credit bureaus annually you can space the requests out instead of requesting all three report at once. That way you will not have to wait 12 months for your next free credit report. Note, however, that the three bureaus have different sources for the information they include in their reports. Therefore, their credit reports for the same person tend to differ from each other.

Mitchell
 
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