Your credit report is an education for you in your financial history. It is the basis of any decision a lender might make regarding giving or refusing credit to you. It is a smart move to arrange to see your credit report.
We can obtain copies of our credit report for free, on an annual basis, from the three major credit reporting agencies: Experian, TransUnion, and Equifax. Go to annualcreditreport.com to obtain these copies. Please request reports from all 3 agencies because they may differ.
There will be several sections in each of the reports. The first section will include basic information such as name, social security number and other identifying factors. No information about race, salary, or assets will be in the reports.
There will be a section related to any credit lines. These credit lines will include loans, mortgages, credit cards, gas and department store cards. It will give the date each credit line was opened, credit limits, payment history (including late payments), balances, overdrawn bank accounts, and unpaid child support.
Credit reporting agencies also receive information from the court system. This section will have a listing of bankruptcies, liens, judgments, divorce.
Any time that you fill out a credit application ( credit card, loan ) there will be a credit inquiry to one of the bureaus. If you inquire for yourself, it will be on the report. These inquiries will remain for 2 years.
If the information on your credit report is positive, this is to your benefit. If the report has negatives, this information will remain for 7 years. A bankruptcy remains for 10 years.
Request those credit reports from all 3 agencies. Compare the reports, be aware of discrepancies and fix errors. We have a personal responsibility to monitor our own credit profile, fix mistakes and, if needed, repair our credit.
We can obtain copies of our credit report for free, on an annual basis, from the three major credit reporting agencies: Experian, TransUnion, and Equifax. Go to annualcreditreport.com to obtain these copies. Please request reports from all 3 agencies because they may differ.
There will be several sections in each of the reports. The first section will include basic information such as name, social security number and other identifying factors. No information about race, salary, or assets will be in the reports.
There will be a section related to any credit lines. These credit lines will include loans, mortgages, credit cards, gas and department store cards. It will give the date each credit line was opened, credit limits, payment history (including late payments), balances, overdrawn bank accounts, and unpaid child support.
Credit reporting agencies also receive information from the court system. This section will have a listing of bankruptcies, liens, judgments, divorce.
Any time that you fill out a credit application ( credit card, loan ) there will be a credit inquiry to one of the bureaus. If you inquire for yourself, it will be on the report. These inquiries will remain for 2 years.
If the information on your credit report is positive, this is to your benefit. If the report has negatives, this information will remain for 7 years. A bankruptcy remains for 10 years.
Request those credit reports from all 3 agencies. Compare the reports, be aware of discrepancies and fix errors. We have a personal responsibility to monitor our own credit profile, fix mistakes and, if needed, repair our credit.
About the Author:
With never before seen challenges in the credit markets it's more important than ever to have excellent credit. For more information check out Rob Kosbergs' Detailed FREE Guide on Maintaining and Repairing your Credit Score by going to Bad Credit Repair for your FREE information.
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