FREE Credit Reports every Year!
Yes you can get a FREE credit report at http://www.annualcreditreport.com/ . It does not include "Scores", though! But never fear, you will be attacked continually. and asked if you want to "upgrade" your choice to include those elusive little rascals! You can get one Free Credit Report each year from the three majors bureaus: Equifax, Trans Union and Experian. You might consider spacing them out and just order one every four months!
Keep in mind it will include everything BUT your score, unless of course you get the UPGRADE!
We'll talk about the actual CREDIT SCORES themselves on another day!
Comments
Is it true when you pull your own report it doesn't effect your credit score? O know it's bad when to many lenders pull it. I just found out I had a bill that went unpaid ( old phone bill that was with and ex of mine shesh women) for a year. I didn't even know it was there. I signed up with a service were I get a monthly report
Also do you know anything about lifelock??? They supposedly garentee your identity will never be stolen
Contractor Marketing
Matthew Shields
Hey Matt, When you pull your own score its called a "soft" pull and it doens't affect your score. Also if you are applying for credit for a car or Home loan and you have credit pulled by different lenders within a short period of time, your score will only be affected once. It will usually drop about 5-7 points. Your best option for a car is to apply at your bank and have financing approved BEFORE you go look at cars. If the Dealer wants to compete for your business than show them your credit report from the Bank and tell them to put together an offer from that. Whoever you end up doing the loan with will eventually need to pull their own, but they can work from the first one you had pulled. If they tell you otherwise, "walk away" . I know I just said it wouldn't lower your score if it was pulled multiple times within a short period of time, but after years in this industry I wouldn't trust what the credit bureaus were telling me. I atteneded "Credit" seminars every year and invariably some of their information would change! As far as a mortgage goes, I would also have it pulled once and let the loan officers work off of that for a quote. The monthly report you are getting now is a great idea and should help you avoid the issues from an "ex" anything.
As I said in the Divorce article: even if you're not married when you seperate get rid of ALL JOINT (co-signed or not, never know if you signature was forged) debt. You should pull a report before you seperate and know what's "out there"!
Have not checked into "Lifelock". Sounds interesting. By the way you can also "Freeze" your Credit Report. This is where no one can see it (except the creditors you already have debt with, they can always "soft pull" your report). You would have to "unfreeze" it to apply for new credit though. Kind of a pain!
Thanks for the question.
Hello John,
once again, great information. You see so many advertisements claiming to have free credit report, but it seems like they all want something. Those good idea to keep an eye on your credit. Kim's post is a perfect example of how something conflict between the cracks and you never even know it. Well looks like we have the start of a nice little mastermind group, and I look forward to working with each and everyone of you.
Scott A. Bell.
The Road Warrior: last-minute hotel deals
Excellent. I bet a lot of people didn't even know they could get a copy of their credit report. Something to add to the financial success baby steps that I hadn't thought of.
I've updated my site -- although I guess i have to upgrade to be allowed to do proper linespacing! The concept is there though for those who are interested.
Sue Crutcher, Life Empowerment Mentor
SO are FICO scores better than the credit scores provided by the credit agencies? And what is your impression of services like Life-Lock in preventing ID theft?
Steve's Blog
Best,
April Braswell
Keep the good enough coming. Info stolen enough times already.
Tim
Learned something new.
peter
John,
Thanks for the reminder! I haven't done this in a while, and I probably should. Also, thanks for the information regarding soft pulls. I hadn't known this before and this is really valuable information!
Jennifer Skinner, Image and Style, Wardrobe Planning Expert
Hey Steve, "FICO" and "credit score" really mean the same thing! The company that created these little black boxes that your data feeds into and pops out the score is FICO (Fair Issac Corporation). Each one of the Bureaus calls their scores something different, but it all means your "credit score". Lenders usually use the middle of three or the lower of two to make their credit decision. I have also been told by the credit bureau "experts" that the score you get through a company like www.myfico.com as a personal "pull" will be a little higher than when a Lender pulls it.
Have not checked out Life-lock.
Tim, In "my opinion" (in case theres any legal beagles around) companies telling you they can remove "accurate" data from your credit report is a scam. The Credit Repair Organization Act governs these guys. But most of them have found loopholes and don't call themselves "Credit Repair Organizations". If you read this law they are not supposed to charge you ANTHING until they fix your credit. Fix credit means remove "innaccurate" data, not correct stuff! I have counseled many people that have parted with $700 + and never heard from them again. Report anything that sounds shady to the FTC!
(OK, now a little less bitter) There are Organizations out there that can work with our to get stuff removed that is innaccurate! Keep in mind you can do this for free, but it is a little work. All three credit bureaus have websites to "dispute" info with. I'd like to see laws in place that fines the bureaus for not scrubbing their data monthly. I've seen credit reports that have collections that haven't been reported for more than a year yet still hanging on the report. Why wouldn't it be reported every month? because it was PAID already. (ok i lied, still bitter! Too many consumers getting HOSED! I don't like it!) Have an amazing week.
Aaron
Aaron's blog
So John, are you saying getting these credit reports are a good thing or not because they don't give you a score? I haven't looked at my credit report in about 4-5 years.
Aaron, Not exactly sure what you're asking but I will assume you are talking about what parents used to do with their kids. They would set up their kids on a "signature" basis, meaning they didn't qualify for the credit card but they could get one issued in their own name and "use" it. The beauty of it was not only that they could use it but the "primary" cardholders payment history would flow to the "signature" persons credit report as well, thereby establishing credit history and even credit scores! Great way for kids to get their credit history started even though it wasn't their history! So others would do the same thing for people that needed good credit history. They would get paid to provide a "signature" card to someone else and that person would start getting the "primary" cardholders history on their reports..... No one could tell from the "credit report" whether it was their "history or not. Another scam was "straw buyers", but we'll talk about that later. Thanks for the questions.
JohnW
Lisa, Getting the credit reports is a great thing! Even if is the FREE ones. They don't give you the score but they give you your "data" and that's all you have control over anyway. Some other tips: Shred all documents that have personal info on them or store them in a fireproof safe, get your mail out of you mailbox every day!, Never mail your bills FROM your mailbox, take them to the post office or at least a USPS mailbox.
I was getting a mortgage done for this teacher and she called me a week before closing to tell me she had her identity stolen! She and a few of her neighbors had their outgoing mail stolen from their mailboxes (red flag up, not hard for these crminals to spot, very quick access...) I think it's the number one non-violent crime in the US right now, over $13m. Report it immediately to the police and your creditors (do you have a list of them seperate from your wallet/purse?)
Its not so much what your laible for, if you report it quickly its only like $50, its the real pain and cost of "fixing" you credit world afterwards. Very ugly stuff!
JohnW