Credit reports are a detailed account of your credit history.
They are a measure of your financial reliability and often determine your ability to secure loans and financing, are often used for employment inquiries, rental applications and much more.
Ensuring their accuracy in a world of identity theft is YOUR responsibility. You have rights and may wish to consider a proactive approach to ensure the integrity of your report. Here’s how:
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) notes that each credit bureau creates a slightly different credit report, but most are split into four or five main sections:
Personal information includes any name you’ve ever used in connection with an account, your birth date, social security number and former addresses.
Credit account information includes current and past credit accounts (such as credit cards, loans and mortgages), account balances, payment history and how long each account has been open.
Debt collections may appear if a lender has ever transferred overdue account payments to an external collection agency.
Public records list applicable history of bankruptcies, foreclosures, liens or civil suits.
Recent inquiries list any entities that have recently inquired about your credit, like credit card companies or lenders.
HAS MY IDENTITY BEEN STOLEN?
Have you been notified that your personal and financial information was stolen from a company by way of a data breach?
Does your bank statement appear to be incorrect?
Are you receiving unfamiliar bills? Calls from debt collectors? Are you unable to file your taxes? Has your credit card been unexpectedly declined?
HOW DO I VERIFY THE ACCURACY OF MY REPORT?
You can request a free copy of your credit report from each of the three reporting agencies (Equifax, Experian and TransUnion).
Request Your Free Credit Report:
Online: Visit AnnualCreditReport.com
By Phone: Call 1-877-322-8228. For TTY service, call 711 and ask the relay operator for 1-800-821-7232.
By Mail: Complete the Annual Credit Report Request Form (https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/pdf-0093-annual-report-request-form.pdf) and mail it to:
Annual Credit Report Request Service
PO Box 105281
Atlanta, GA 30348-5281