Free Credit Bureau Report

Steven Parsons asked:




1. Be aggressive in repairing your own credit.

Credit repair is not going to just happen. Bad credit is not something you can ignore, hoping that it will work itself out. Things like credit card charge offs, accounts that went to collections, and late payments will stay on your credit report for 7 years. But once bills have been paid off it is much easier to have them removed. The easiest way to remove a charge off is to send the credit bureau a challenge letter, also called a dispute letter.

2. Dispute the items you want removed.

The Fair Credit Reporting Act gives you the right to dispute any negative items on your credit report. This means you can challenge repossessions, charge offs, collections accounts, bankruptcies, foreclosures, judgments, tax liens, and anything else you disagree with. The thing to keep in mind is that the law says you are allowed to dispute anything, so go for the charge offs for sure.

3. How to dispute items on your credit report.

First contact the credit bureaus and request a free copy of your credit report. You are entitled to one free report each year from each bureau. So as long as you have not already requested one this year, you can get a free one. Send each bureau that lists the negative item a letter telling them to remove the specific item you want removed, and why. Make a photo copy of the credit report and circle each of the items you are disputing. Put a number next to each circle, that number should correspond to a number on your letter. This makes it fool proof for the bureaus to figure out which item you are talking about in your letter.

4. The investigation process

There is nothing for you to do now but sit back, relax, and wait. The credit bureaus have 30 days to investigate the items you dispute. That time starts when they receive the letter. They will contact the original creditor notifying them of your dispute and asking them if they agree or disagree with you. From there the credit bureau must provide proof through documentation that the entries are valid. If the entries can not be validated within 30 days from the time they receive the letter, it must be removed from your credit report.

5. Following up

It is critical that you follow up with the credit bureaus. A trend that is starting to emerge with them is they simply don’t remove items that have not been validated, or sometimes they don’t even conduct an investigation. So if you don’t get a letter within a couple weeks after the investigation should have been complete, make a call to them and find out what happened. Whatever they say, ask them to send a letter for your records.

So lets recap what you need to do. First, get a copy of your credit report. Second, review your credit report and make note of any items on the report that you want removed. Third, write your dispute letter then circle and number each item on the report that you are disputing. Fourth, sit back and wait for the investigation to be completed. Fifth, follow up if you have not received an answer within 6 weeks.

Follow these simple steps and you will be well on your way to easy credit repair. To make things even more simple, order a set of proven credit repair letters from an expert. The reason you should do that is their letters have been proven to work, because they have used them successfully to dispute items for their clients. A well written dispute letter will practically guarantee success.

Linda

Jared Wright asked:




Credit report companies offer their services to people who need to get their credit score and other information about their financial status. A credit report is required when you apply for a loan such as a home mortgage, and may also be required when you want to apply for a credit card. There are credit reports for individuals, and there are also some reports which are made to evaluate the statuses of companies.

Credit report companies are also known as credit bureaus. There are three major credit report companies, which are the Equifax Credit Bureau, the TransUnion Credit Bureau, and the Experian Credit Bureau. These companies collect different information from creditors, which are then used to generate reports that are sold to their clients.

A credit report is a valuable document in the sense that it includes information which may grant or deny loan approval, employment, licensing, insurance and other business needs. Individuals and businesses alike are dependent on their credit scores and report to help in evaluating their current financial standing.

Some information which is available from credit companies includes the following:

• Identification. Credit report companies have consumer details such as name, employer, address, name of spouse and the company or employer of the spouse.

• Credit history. This includes accounts which are active, including the account numbers, the date when the accounts where opened, the payments and other activities made for it, balances, amounts that were paid in the past, and how often payment was late. These are all bases for a low credit score, meriting a lender ground for denying you of a loan.

• Derogatory items. These include risks which may affect the lender or the company which will deal with the other party. Judgments, suits, bankruptcies and tax liens may prevent you from getting approved for a loan.

• Inquiries. Companies or individuals may have asked for your information, such as banks and financial institutions which have required your bank details. You will be given information about the inquiries which happened in the last 18 months only.

Credit report companies update your information regularly so that their database is updated and is relevant. Lenders can access your information to help them decide whether or not you can be trusted with a loan or a new credit card. You can also access your own credit score by logging in to the website of the three credit bureaus mentioned above so you can monitor your finances as closely as you need.

Juanita

Helen Hecker asked:




Assuming you already have a copy of your annual credit report you may have already found some errors that should be removed. Errors should always be a big concern because they can and probably have affected your credit score, also called a FICO. You can repair your credit with a little bit of help.

It may seem like a lot of work but it’s really easy. The hardest part is actually sitting down to do it. You’ll need to check all three credit bureaus to make sure the same error isn’t on all three but if you just have one credit report, start with that one.

First make a list of any and all errors that you find on your personal credit report. These could be in the form of personal information such as birth date or more likely there will be information that you know not to be true such as late payments or no payments recorded etc. If you think there is any possibility that you could be wrong check your past history with the creditor in question first.

You want to make sure you are right before you make the request to have any information removed from your credit report.

You will be sending the letter only to the credit bureau mentioned on the report, which would be Esperian, Equifax or TransUnion. You don’t want to sound angry in the letter, just be matter-of-fact, straightforward and business-like. Just outline the facts – name of creditor, dates, and the error(s) or problem(s) you’re finding on the credit report.

Here is a sample letter:

Date:

To whom it may concern at Esperian (or other credit bureau):

I recently acquired a copy of my credit report and found some errors that I’d like to dispute. I am enclosing documentation to prove the information is incorrect and would like a correction. I value my good standing and good credit history and want to maintain a good credit rating and credit score.

Name the creditor along with the reference date including the month, day and year if possible.

The error(s) I have found are:

I’m including copies of my payment record, with a (cancelled check or online payment print-outs or any other documentation that you have).
I would appreciate any attention to the matter as I would like my credit report to be accurate. I’m sure you understand that credit bureaus need to include only information that is accurate in my file.

Thank you for taking a look at my letter and file and hopefully making the necessary corrections so I can continue to maintain my good credit standing. Please let me know that my file has been reviewed and what action has been taken. I would also like a copy of my corrected credit report sent to the enclosed address. Thank you.

Sincerely,

Besides your full name as shown on the report, include you mailing address, a copy of the report that you have, your social security number, driver’s license photocopy and any other documentation such as a cancelled check or online payment confirmations.

Make a copy of the letter for yourself and a copy of any enclosures with the letter. Send the dispute letter by certified mail with a ‘return receipt’ requested. Then make sure to get the free credit reports from the other two main credit bureaus or reporting agencies to make sure they don’t have the same incorrect information. You can get free instant credit reports from the other two online.

Dale

Mike Clover asked:




Your credit score report can be affect by more than your available credit history. We talk about how credit cards, mortgages, car loans, and any type of loan that reports to all 3 credit bureaus will affect your credit score. We don’t always talk about utility companies and how they can have a negative impact on your credit report. Here are utility companies I like to consider non-creditors. In other words these companies don’t give you a line credit, they just provide a service.

Utility companies

- Phone companies

- Electric companies

- Security companies

- Cell phone companies

- Water companies

- Gas companies

- Cable companies

- Internet Companies

Let’s assume you are having a tough time currently, and you stop paying your cable bill. The cable company will give you a little time to pay off the debt for service rendered, but will eventually turn that debt over to a collection company. The collection company in return will report that obligation to the 3 credit bureaus wanting their money. This is how it works with any of the companies mention. Once this collection reports to the credit bureaus your credit rating just dropped about 100 points. Utility companies on the other hand don’t help your credit when you are in good standing, but will also hurt your credit score if you don’t pay. Once the collection hits your credit report, and you finally decide to pay off the collection, the collection will be on your credit report for 7 years. 7 years of negative information will be on your credit report. If you don’t pay the collection, the collection company can sell the collection repeatedly to different collection companies which will ultimately drive down your credit score even more.

Pay your bills on-time

If you get behind, call your creditors immediately and work out a payment arrangement with them. They will typically work with you, especially during tough economic times. A creditor or utility company would rather get some form of payment versus nothing. If you don’t pay your bills including utility bills it will affect your credit score report. With lending getting extremely tough currently, your credit scores are more important than ever. If you have credit issues, the banks may look at your credit history as too big of a risk for there portfolio.

Don’t assume if you don’t pay utility it will not affect your credit. Because it will affect your credit, and will not go away until you pay it off. If you are unsure what is on your credit report, get a copy of your free credit score report today.

Ellen

Jeslyn Jessy asked:




According to the Federal Law passed in 2005, everyone in UK is eligible to receive one free credit report annually from each credit bureau. You can check your credit history and safeguard your credit score at zero cost. Let me show you some simple steps to obtain your credit file on complimentary basis.

Step 1: Go to the official website of Annual Credit Report organization

Why do you need to go to this particular website? Seriously speaking, for security purpose, you are advised not to request your credit file from other parties. In UK, the Annual Credit Report website is the only authorized online source where the consumers can access their file for free under the Federal Law. Hence, you should not go direct to the credit reporting agencies if you want to get a copy of your file for free.

Step 2: Fill up the online form

Go to the website and fill up the online form carefully. You are required to provide your full name, address, social security number and the date of birth.

Step 3: Decide how many reports you wish to receive

Once you have provided your personal details, you should then decide whether you want to receive your report from one, two or three credit bureaus. In my personal point of view, you should request from all bureaus since you can get all reports for free. At the same time, you can check whether the details shown in all files are the same and there is no mistake.

Step 4: Print your online report

Once you have made your selection, a screen will appear allowing you to immediately print your report. Here is an important reminder for you. You MUST PRINT your report. If you don’t print at this time, you will lose your eligibility for a free file until next year.

If you are not internet savvy, don’t worry. You are recommended to contact this organization at 1-877-322-8228 to request for your free credit report. The officers who attend the call normally require the callers to answer some simple questions for verification purpose. Once they have identified the callers’ personal details, they will deliver the reports to the callers within two to three weeks.

When you have received your credit report, you are reminded to read and check it for accuracy. Make sure all the information is updated. If you find any inaccurate item, you must make your report to the credit bureau immediately.

Now, what if you need your report again a few months later? Can you still obtain it for free? It depends on the situation. If you are currently unemployed and you are receiving unemployment benefits or public assistance, you are still eligible to get your credit file at no cost. However, if you don’t fall under this category, you need to pay the reporting agencies for each report you need.

To sum up, everyone is entitled for a free report every year. You will only be required to pay for the report under certain unusual circumstances.

Jennifer