Taking Control Of That Credit Report Once And For All Part 1
written by Credit-HQ ExpertThere is plenty of talk on the television talk shows and commercials about the importance of getting access to your credit report. But what is not talked about nearly enough is what to do about it if you do spot problems on your credit report.
It is vital that your credit report is correct, error free and that you keep an eye out for credit fraud or identity theft. There are so many times in life when you go to buy a new home, a car or apply for a credit that your credit score quietly makes those things happen for you. So as much as your credit report takes care of you, its a smart idea to take care of it and take action when things show up on that report that are not right.
There is a lot of personal information on your credit report including your name, social security number, address as well as your employment history and detailed data about every credit account you have and the history of those lines of credit. Because any institution that you need to do business with from a bank to a mortgage company to the company that rents you an apartment can check your credit report, working hard to keep it correct is a worthwhile priority.
The first essential step to making sure your credit report stays correct is to check it at least once a year. There are three credit reporting agencies, Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. It’s the law that each of these credit reporting agencies must give you a free copy of your credit report once a year. So keep track of the information on how to order your credit report and make it as much a part of your annual financial management as filing your income taxes. You can get credit report monitoring services from any of the three agencies as well as buy one time credit report.
It is not a complicated process to order a report from each of the major credit reporting organizations. It is as easy as using the web site www.AnnualCreditReport.com. Or you can simply call 1-877-322-8228 to get the ball rolling. There is ample information on the internet about how to step through the process of getting your credit report. One excellent article about the steps you will complete to order your own copy of your credit information is at http://www.credit.com/credit_information/credit_report/How-to-order-your-free-annual-credit-reports.jsp
These resources will show you how to scrutinize each section of your credit report to look for errors and potential red flags of tampering by identity thieves. When you do find an error, taking action right away is best. Start out by contacting each credit agency and giving them all of the information they need to correct the problem. A letter is best because you can go into detail. Equifax, Experian and TransUnion all have online methods to report problems.
When you put together your report, be as specific as possible. Go through the entire credit report so that you can report multiple problems with one letter if you find them. This is better than sending in multiple problem reports. Also be sure you make a copy of your credit report and mail it in along with your detailed documentation of what is wrong. That gives the reviewer at the credit agency everything they need to fix what is wrong.
Click here to see Part 2: Taking Control Of That Credit Report Once And For All Part 2
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