Free Annual Credit Report

The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) requires each of the nationwide consumer reporting companies—Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion— to provide you with a free copy of your credit report, at your request, annually or once every 12 months. The FCRA advocates and promotes the accuracy and privacy of information in the files of the nation’s consumer reporting companies.
 
To order your annual credit reports from Equifax, Experian and TransUnion:

• visit www.annualcreditreport.com,
• call 1-877-322-8228, or
• complete the Free Annual Credit Report Request Form.

The form to request your credit report is available at the Federal Trade Commission's web site at www.ftc.gov/credit. Mail your completed form to:

Annual Credit Report Request Service
P.O. Box 105281
Atlanta, GA 30348-5281.

Do not contact the three nationwide consumer reporting companies individually. Equifax, Experian and TransUnion will provide a free annual credit reports only through www.annualcreditreport.com (1-877-322-8228) and Annual Credit Report Request Service, P.O. Box 105281, Atlanta, GA 30348-5281.

After You've Ordered Your Free Credit Report

After you request your free annual credit report, the next thing is knowing what information is in the credit report. This document is your financial history – it shows you your debts and gives you a record of your payment and credit history.

The data of your free credit report could include the outstanding amount to a creditor, any credit limits, and credit repayment – whether you’ve been on time or late and how many times you’ve been late. Your credit report will also show any inquiries about your credit, names of credit companies who have made these inquiries; public record information such as foreclosures or bankruptcies; possible current and past addresses, employment and identification information. Your credit report contains not only your credit history, but personal information as well so it can be a dangerous document in the wrong hands.

The types of credit information your credit report tells you:

• Identity Information
  • Name (your spouse’s name if you’re married), current and past addresses, social security number, birth year, current and past employers.
• Credit Information
  • Credit cards and credit accounts or loans form any bank, retailer or other credit lender.
• Public Record Information
  • State and county records including tax liens, bankruptcies, judgements and foreclosures.
• Credit Inquiry Information
  • Any new credit cards or credit accounts you’ve recently applied for. Often credit companies see many credit inquiries on your credit report as a clue that you may be getting further into credit debt.

Credit companies will review your free credit report in order to decide whether to grant you credit. As you pay your bills to credit companies, these companies report your credit payment history to the credit bureaus. In this way, the credit information contained within your credit report is directly from the credit companies you have accounts with.