How to order your free credit reports

How to order your free credit reports

(Andrey Popov, Shutterstock)


1 photo
Save Story
Leer en español

Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes

This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.

SALT LAKE CITY — March is National Credit Education Month and a good time to check your credit report for errors.

According to a recent survey conducted by the Consumer Federation of America, over 80 percent of Americans are aware of credit basics but don’t understand important details.

Auto finance lenders, banks, credit card issuers and mortgage lenders have all raised the bar when considering consumer credit options. Long gone are the days when a 620-640 FICO credit score sufficed. Now borrowers with bad credit are being turned down or forced to pay significantly higher interest rates when applying. Those with low credit scores have even been denied employment opportunities and automobile insurance.

Adverse information contained in credit reports — such as late payments, collections and public record entries — determine whether you can obtain credit, goods, benefits, services, employment and/or insurance. It’s important to review your Equifax, Experian and TransUnion credit reports on a regular basis and correct any information that is inaccurate, erroneous, obsolete or fraudulent due to possible identity theft.

Related Stories:

And don’t be scammed by the numerous “free credit report” opportunities found on the internet. While dozens of companies offer that so-called “free credit report,” many of them have strings attached. Don't sign up for those because you really can obtain a free copy of your credit report.

Under a narrow set of circumstances, you are entitled to an absolutely free copy of your credit report directly from the credit reporting agencies. If you have been denied credit, goods, benefits, services, employment or insurance, Equifax, Experian and TransUnion are statutorily mandated under the Fair Credit Reporting Act to provide a copy without charge.

When ordering credit reports, be sure to indicate that you were denied credit when prompted. Absent these exceptions, you are entitled to one free “annual credit report” per year. For your free annual credit report, contact the central source at 877-FACT-ACT (877-322-8228) or online at www.AnnualCreditReport.com. Follow the voice prompts and obtain your credit report for review.

Credit scores are not included with any of the “free credit reports” provided by the national credit reporting agencies Equifax, Experian and TransUnion.


Bill Lewis is the principal of William E. Lewis Jr. & Associates and host of "The Credit Report with Bill Lewis" — a daily forum for business and financial news, politics, economic trends and issues on AM 740 WSBR in south Florida.

Photos

Most recent Utah stories

Related topics

Utah

STAY IN THE KNOW

Get informative articles and interesting stories delivered to your inbox weekly. Subscribe to the KSL.com Trending 5.
By subscribing, you acknowledge and agree to KSL.com's Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

KSL Weather Forecast