Free Annual Credit Report
Around this time every year, I request my free annual credit report. I also warn people about fake free credit reports. Here’s my blog entry from last year:
However, some companies (particularly credit card companies) offer you a "free" credit report. The report only comes after you sign up for some sort of credit watching service, which can be anywhere from a few bucks a month to a percentage of your balance. Be alert! The credit report can be obtained directly from the bureaus’ websites. Congress recently amended the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act that allows you to have all three agencies give you a free credit report from on one web site. This website is http://www.annualcreditreport.com. Do not be fooled by imitations (e.g. http://www.freecreditreport.com). annualcreditreport.com is the only official website promoted by the FTC.
One of the tips I got from consumerist.com is to request my report every four months, instead of once a year. That way, I can keep regular watch over my credit. You do this by requesting one report at a time. My schedule is March, July, and November.
Also, as a reminder, your credit score is not free. Congress is working on including this in your report but it’s not quite there. Be sure to contact your representatives to have your credit score a part of your report. Seeing that this is the number that banks and lenders use to judge your credit, it seems like it should be free.