L. Sampson asked:




Knowing what is on your credit report can help to keep your personal information safe, give you a chance to correct inaccuracies, and save you money on interest rates when you apply for a home loan. With the wide availability of free or low cost credit reports online, there is no reason to spend a lot of money to find out how credit worthy you really are.

Obtain a free credit report when you sign up for special services

If you are interested in signing up for credit monitoring or similar credit check services, take advantage of a company that offers a free credit report when you sign up for their program. If you are interested in a credit monitoring or counseling program, look for one that offers a free credit report instead of paying for this information.

Go straight to the source

According to the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act, everyone is entitled to receive a free copy of their credit report from each of the three nationwide credit reporting agencies, Equifax, Experian and TransUnion, once every 12 months. You can individually request a copy from each bureau or you can look for online companies that offer a free centralized request form that lets you fill out one form and receive your credit report from all three agencies.

Save money later by not being too thrifty now

While free online credit sites abound on the internet, it isn’t always as free as it sounds. Always thoroughly research any company you are about to request a free credit report from. Some are nothing more than fronts for identity theft scams. Ironically a consumer thinks they are getting a credit report to safeguard their credit, when in truth they are giving away valuable information to identity thieves. While it might seem wonderful to get a credit report for nothing, it won’t seem so wonderful if you have to go through the headache of cleaning up your credit report or if you aren’t able to secure a loan because of fraudulent information on your report.

Dale

Bill Pratt asked:




Freecreditreport offers online credit reporting resources to consumers worldwide and belongs to the ConsumerInfo family. The company is a leading provider of online consumer credit reports, credit information and monitoring services as well as credit scores.

The company has served 3.1 members thus far and delivered more than 20 million credit reports. The indispensable services and befits offered by Freecreditreport has taken the company to newer heights as the membership count continues to rise.

Consumers can now wield control over their credit by taking advantages of the services offered by this company. The first step involves getting access to their free credit report and credit score. Customers can try these services completely free of cost with the 7 day free trial offer.

The features and benefits also include:
Daily monitoring of Experian, Equifax and TransUnion credit reports
Email reports of any kind of changes and risks of identity thefts to any of the three credit reports
$50,000 Triple Advantage Guarantee feature offered the company

The paid membership comes with access to unlimited Experian credit reports and credit scores.

Monitoring and analyzing the customer’s credit score can result in substantial savings as these credit scores are taken into consideration by lenders for the “credit worthiness” of customers in order to facilitate processing of loan application, credit card application and other lines of credit. This credit score in turn helps in determining whether the applicant qualifies for a credit or not as well as the interest rate applicable on the given credit.

These credit scores are extracted from the credit reports which have a propensity to change on a daily basis. It therefore becomes imperative to monitor your credit reports as this could directly affect the credit scores.

Freecreditreport takes care of all these intricacies for its customers/members while obviating the any associated risks in terms of unauthorized activity or potential discrepancies. Customers also get to guard their identity, as Freecreditreport monitors the customer’s Experian, Equifax and TransUnion credit report on a daily basis.

It is important for the customer to note here that higher credit scores equate to lower interest rates on new loans, thereby resulting in substantial savings.

Joe

Sally Fontaine asked:




Checking Credit

Most people understand the importance of checking their credit, but some may not completely understand why. It is important for individuals to keep an eye on their credit score so they will not be hit with any surprises once it is time to purchase something that requires a good credit report. One of the most reliable ways to check a credit score is by using the Annual Credit Report Request. There are also other options when it comes to checking credit in the form of credit monitoring. This will allow an individual to catch potential acts of identity theft and other errors that may arise quickly, so they can have them corrected before they need to use their credit. If an error is found, then an individual will need to contact the three major credit bureaus about the inconsistency. This can be done by writing a letter and mailing it by certified mail along with any supporting documents. If the claim changes a person’s credit score he or she, may receive an additional free credit report with their accurate credit rating.

It is important to remember that the United States federal law not only allows but encourages everyone to check their credit with a free credit report once per year. This type of request can either be conducted over the phone or electronically. If an individual is attempting to get their credit rating electronically, it is important to avoid scams. Unfortunately, offers that are in the form of emails or pop-up ads are usually scams, along with any websites that require a credit card number for a free credit report.

Bond Credit

Individuals are not the only entities that have credit reports. Corporations have bond credit ratings as well, which is essentially their credit rating. Reviewing a bond credit report is one of the ways that investors, considering debt securities from both domestic and foreign companies, assess the risks involved. This type of rating, which are more widely known as corporate credit ratings, can be assigned to both long and short-term obligations as well as loans, insurance companies, securities, and preferred stock. Usually, long-term credit ratings will indicate whether a company will pay its debt.

There are three major entities that will provide rating systems for companies; Standard and Poor’s, Fitch IBCA, and Moody’s. This rating will aide investors in determining the level of risk involved with their investments choices. The ratings will range from a high quality credit score to a default or junk rating. If an investor would like to translate the rating themselves, the triple A rating is the best quality credit score possible, while a C or D score is considered junk. Fitch ICBA uses a slightly different scale that the AA rating would be a high credit rating, triple B is equal to good credit, and triple A is still the best possible credit score. With Fitch ICBA, anything lower than a triple B is considered junk. If an investor is using Standard and Poor’s rating system, then D is considered the worst possible score.

A sovereign credit rating is the type of credit score that is issued to countries and their capability to provide a stable investment environment for investors. There are numerous factors reflected in a sovereign credit rating including, private investment, foreign currency reserves, economic status, and political stability. These aspects are usually the first thing institution investors research when considering investing abroad. Investors are not the only ones who look at credit scores in this arena, entities searching for investors will also use this to find additional funding. Investment grade reports will generate interest for a country or company, which will make it desirable for foreign investors. A high credit rating will also aide emerging market economies, which shows how safe their foreign investors’ funds really are. Today, credit ratings will facilitate investments as both companies and nations attempt to improve their credit ratings.

Fernando

The Truth asked:


freecreditreport.com , experian, transunion, equifax are all in together to make money off me. Where can I get a “real” free credit report without having to give up my credit card information and sign up for some monthly membership or a dumb “identity theft monitoring alert” service ?

thanks for any help!

Peggy

Hyder Khan asked:




Did you know that by law, every person in the United States is entitled to request one free credit report every twelve months, from each of the three credit bureaus?

All you have to do is contact each one and either send them a request by mail or fill out the required form on their website, and upon verification of your identity and verifying that you have no checked your credit report in the last 12 months, they will mail (or e-mail) you your credit report.

All financial planners unanimously agree that you should check your credit report regularly, so that you can proactively be aware of what is on it and take the positive steps necessary to improve your credit score.

The three major credit bureaus are: Experian, Equifax, and Trans Union.

Above and beyond that, there are many credit monitoring services out there that offer a variety of different services:

Multiple credit checks throughout the year Alerts to inform you when your credit score has gone up or done Alerts to inform you when something negative has come on your credit report Analysis of your credit report along with advice on how to improve it

It can be to your advantage to subscribe to such a service. For example, if you are planning to buy a house in the upcoming months or years, and your credit score needs improvement or you are simply trying to maintain it, then this type of service can help you to stay on top of your situation.

Luis

George Burk asked:




2005 marks the year that consumers will be able to get a free credit report each year. The roll out of the Fair and Accurate Credit Transaction Act signed into law by President Bush actually began last December 1. If you didn’t know about it, don’t worry. You haven’t missed the boat. Not everyone is eligible to get their credit report. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is allowing the credit bureau’s to implement the program piecemeal so as not to overload the new credit report system. Millions of consumers are expected to take advantage of the free reports.

Last December, consumers from Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming were able to take advantage of the free credit report. Next March, the Midwest will have access to free credit reports. The South has to wait till June, and the East must wait until September 2005.

After your eligible, you can request you free credit report from a web site, by calling a toll free number, or by requesting it in writing. The web site address is AnnualCreditReport.com. This website was created by the credit bureaus. The toll free number is (877)-322-8228, which is also (877)-FTC-HELP if that’s easier to remember. The address to write to is Annual Report Request Service, P.O. Box 105281, Atlanta, GA., 30348-5281. You will not be asked to sign up for a trial subscription for a credit monitoring service after requesting your credit report.

Your not limited to one free credit report a year. You can request three – one from each of the credit bureaus: Exper

Benjamin Robert Ehinger asked:




Are you in need of some credit repair? This is for about 95% of all of us because we are all struggling with our credit at some point in our lives. This is the problem with credit and it is easy to blame the creditors or to just file bankruptcy and start over, but there are better answers. Here is another option to how to improve your credit score.

First, get your credit report. We are all entitled to a free credit report once every year from all three of the reporting agencies that are out there. You really need to check your credit once every 3 months or so or you can hire a credit monitoring service to update you anytime something new is added or changed on your report.

Second, your next step will be to put together a plan to get your debts in order and this must be done correctly. You need to put the debts that you are paying on time on the top of your list. These need to be paid on time continually and first. Next you need to list your past due debts from smallest to largest because the largest debt hurts your credit just as much as the smallest if they are both past due.

Third, now you need to pay your debts. Start with that small one and get it off your credit. That is how to improve your credit score and do it in a hurry. Go through the list and in a few months you will find that you can get three, four, maybe even more debts off your credit and see your score start to climb. This is the best way to deal with your credit score.

Last, you can also go get a small loan or a credit card with a small limit. Pay the loan on time or if you decide for a credit card, then pay the bill off every month and only use it for a little bit, like gas each month. This will improve your credit score pretty fast and within a year or so you will be in a better place as far as credit is concerned.

Brenda

Louis Tsui asked:


There are lots of different ways that a consumer, or someone worried about credit can look into free credit report monitoring. The main key is that you understand where you have access to this free monitoring and where you can get it for yourself. You can get free credit monitoring from lots of different credit report companies, or companies that deal and work with people’s credit. It’s a great decision for lots of people who are interested in making sure that their credit is stable and intact. Making sure that you have good credit is a great way to keep you on track with all of your finances. Credit report monitoring monitors your credit reports, and your credit. You can get this kind of monitoring from the majority of credit companies, and you can call your provider or other company to get information.

Using free credit report monitoring is a great way to make sure that you stay on track with your credit. It can help you realize when your credit is headed in a southward direction, and can give you a red flag when you need to watch your credit. These benefits are great for anyone who is just out of credit trouble, to make sure you don’t get there again. It’s also great for anyone who is just looking at a way to make sure that their credit is safe and that it is not going to crash. It’s a good decision to make for anyone with credit, and especially important for anyone who is worried about their credit.

There are lots of different kinds of free credit report monitoring services available, depending on who you are looking at to do the monitoring. You can look at your company, or look at anyone who manages your credit. Services include protecting you against fraud, monitoring your current credit patterns with your history, and giving you service to match your credit. Using these services can help you make sure that you aren’t making any mistakes, and that you can get a great credit history and score. This is a smart financial move for anyone, any kind of consumer and anyone with credit.

Article By Louis, CardKudos[dot]com



Alma

redhairedmama75 asked:


I checked my credit score today and it has dropped 22 points with in the last week or so. According to my credit report my revolving debt is $60.00 than it was the last time which is about right BUT when I look at the individual accounts on my report all the balances say the same exact thing they did a week ago.

I belong to a credit monitoring service offered through one of my credit cards so I can get a free credit report and updated score as often as I want.

Gilbert

Tom Ambrozewicz asked:


A few years ago, the government passed a law allowing every citizen to receive a free annual credit report to track their credit history with the recent increase in identity theft. This report is easily available online and provides you with all three national credit reporting agencies’ information on your credit history. Your score is not provided in this case.

Because of the popularity of this new law, many con artists and identity thieves have come out of the woodwork, creating free credit report web sites to scam people out of money as well as steal their identities – ironically, something the new law was supposed to help stop. There are over 100 free report web sites online at the moment; however, there is only one web site where you can get the real free credit report online: www.annualcreditreport.com.

These scammers often charge a “small fee” to receive what was supposed to be a free credit report. There are also fake web sites that record your personal information, by asking for your Social Security number or asking for credit card information, from which anyone can steal your identity or run up charges on your card and ruin your credit.

You can detect these scam web sites in several ways. Most of these scam web sites have a similar name to the official free credit report web site, but you can discern the difference because these web sites often have misspelled words, typos, or small grammatical errors, like a period being out of place. Also, as most of the web sites charge you a fee to get the report, remember that you are entitled annually to a FREE credit report. Even if they ask you for your credit card information and state that they will not charge you a fee – this should be suspect. If you get an e-mail or solicitation, be sure to read the fine print carefully before responding. Some have found that certain web sites or solicitations do offer a free credit report, but you have to enter your credit card information, and by doing so, you authorize them to charge your card for credit monitoring services.

Remember, you can get your free credit report either online at the above-mentioned web site or by phone or mail. You can also contact any of the three national credit report agencies, Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion, and they can also point you in the right direction.



Barbara