Checking Out Your Credit Reports

Three national credit-reporting companies operate in the United States:
Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. Reviewing the information in your
credit report from each company is an excellent way to see your true financial
picture.

Getting copies of your credit reports
For a comprehensive survey of your creditworthiness, order a copy of your
credit report from each of the national credit-reporting agencies, not just
from one. Each report may contain slightly different information about you,
partly because not all creditors report all consumer account payment information
to all three agencies.

You are entitled to one free copy of each of your credit reports every year. To
order yours, go to www.annualcreditreport.com or call 877-FACT-ACT.
If you’ve already obtained free copies of your credit reports during the past
12 months, you must pay a fee to order additional copies. In most states, the
cost is $10 per report (and some states also charge a sales tax), although the
cost is less in some states. You can call your state attorney general’s office to
find out.

Also, you are always entitled to a free credit report if

You are unemployed and intend to apply for a job within 60 days.
You are receiving public welfare assistance.
You believe that you have been the victim of identity theft.
You have been denied credit, employment, insurance, or a place to rent
within the past 60 days because of information in your credit report.
To order additional copies of your credit reports after you’ve obtained your
free annual ones, you must contact each of the three credit-reporting agencies
individually. You can order the copies by mail, by phone, or online.
Equifax: www.equifax.com; 800-685-1111; Disclosure Department, P.O.
Box 740241, Atlanta, GA 30374
Experian: www.experian.com; 888-397-3742; P.O. Box 2104, Allen, TX 75013
TransUnion: www.transunion.com; 800-888-4213; P.O. Box 1000,
Chester, PA 19022
If you order additional copies by mail, put your request in a letter that
includes the following information, and be sure to sign it:
Your full name (including Jr., Sr., III, and so on)
Your Social Security number
Your date of birth
Your current address and previous addresses for the past five years
Your phone number, including area code
The name of your current employer