Federal law requires each of the three nationwide consumer credit reporting companies – Equifax, Experian and TransUnion – to give you a free credit report every 12 months if you ask for it.
Your credit reports matter. Credit reports may affect your mortgage rates, credit card approvals, apartment requests, or even your job application.
A credit report is an organized list of the information in your credit file. Credit reports may include: a list of companies that have given you credit or loans, the total amount for each loan or credit limit for each credit card, how often you paid your credit or loans on time, and the amount you paid.
Credit reports may also include: names of companies that have asked to see your credit report within a certain time period, your current and former addresses and other details of public record.
To order a free copy of your credit report, just visit http://www.annualcreditreport.com – it’s a central website the three credit bureaus have set up. You can also call 877-322-8228.
