Getting Ahold of your Credit Report

Getting Your Credit Report

So, you know what a credit report is you just don't know where to get it. Many people assume that this is something that will be mailed to them or extended to them somehow but this is not the case. It is not difficult to get your credit report, you just need to know where to get it. When you want to view your report, you are actually going to need to get it from three different places. The reason for this is that there are three different credit bureaus, all of which may have different information on them.

If you want to view your credit report you will want to contact the credit bureaus directly. You can contact them at:

Equifax
P.O. Box 740241
Atlanta, Georgia 90974
1-800-685-1111
www.equifax.com

Experian
P.O. Box 2002
Allen, Texas 75013
1-888-EXPERIAN
www.experian.com

Trans Union
P.O. Box 1000
Chester, Pennsylvania 19022
1-800-916-8800
www.transunion.com

You should know that you are able to receive a three in one credit report each year for free. If you need your credit report in additional settings you may be able to purchase it directly from the credit bureaus and you can generally purchase it from anywhere from eight to $12. You are also entitled to receive your credit report if you have been denied any sort of credit, insurance, or even employment within sixty days of requesting the free credit report.

When you receive your report you will be able to see everything that a creditor would see about you if they were to pull your credit report. You may see debts that you had totally forgotten about that you should take care of before you apply for a loan. You may also want to look at your credit report before applying for a job, just to make sure that all is well there and that you won't be turned down for a job based on your credit report.

But how does this all work?

Fact: Your creditors end up subsidizing all or a large part of most debt consolidation services. What you ask? Well before you say this sounds too good to be true, keep in mind that your creditors are not lowering your interest rate and making it easier for you to make smaller payments out of the goodness of their hearts. They realize if they don't help you out a little you may file bankruptcy and they will never recieve a penny of what you owe them!