The Fair Credit Reporting Act requires each of the nationwide credit reporting companies to provide you a free credit report, upon your request, once every 12 months. A personal request for your credit report will not impact your credit score.
Nationwide consumer credit reporting agencies – Equifax®, Experian®, and TransUnion® – receive data from various organizations and companies with which you have credit. This data is compiled into a report that reflects factors like the length of your credit history, your payment history, credit you have applied for which enabled companies and organizations to access your credit report, and the amount of money you have borrowed.
WHY SHOULD I REVIEW MY CREDIT REPORT?
Reviewing your credit report regularly will help you identify errors or warning signs of identity theft, so you can take steps to address these issues. Financial institutions, landlords, and prospective employers may also look at your report, and it’s important that it is an accurate reflection of your creditworthiness.
HOW DO I GET A COPY OF MY REPORT?
You may request a copy of your report from each of the nation-wide agencies through annualcreditreport.com, the only website authorized by the Federal Trade Commission to provide you with a free annual credit report. You may request one report from each agency once every 12 months, even if you have frozen your credit to help protect against fraud.
Since not all organizations or businesses report to all three nationwide agencies, it's important that you review each one. You can order all three at once; however, staggering them every few months allows you to check for fraud and errors throughout the year.
WHAT INFORMATION WILL I NEED TO PROVIDE?
To request a credit report, you'll need to provide your name, current and previous addresses, social security number, date of birth, and various information regarding your credit history, which helps verify your identity. As always, use caution when providing personal information. When requesting your report online, verify the website you are using is legitimate. If you are requesting your reports by phone, call the verified phone number, rather than using a phone number from an unsolicited call or email.
CAN I USE OTHER SITES THAT ADVERTISE FREE CREDIT REPORTS?
Other sites that claim to provide your report at little or no cost are not part of the legally mandated free annual credit report program and often require certain terms or conditions. This may include charging you for other services they offer or enrolling you in a monthly subscription where only the first month is free.
Learn more about credit scores or make an appointment to review your credit report with an Sunward loan officer by calling 505.293.0500 or 800.947.5328.
