| Clean Credit Reports, your credit report contains | | | | The three major national credit bureaus are: |
| information about where you work, live and how you | | | | Equifax, P.O. Box 740241, Atlanta, GA 30374-0241; |
| pay your bills (On time or not). It also may show | | | | (800) 685-1111. |
| whether you've been sued, arrested or have filed for | | | | Experian (formerly TRW), P.O. Box 2002, Allen, TX |
| bankruptcy with in the last 10 years. Companies called | | | | 75013; (888) EXPERIAN (397-3742). |
| consumer reporting agencies (cra) or credit bureaus | | | | Trans Union, P.O. Box 1000, Chester, PA 19022; (800) |
| compile and sell your credit report to businesses all | | | | 916-8800. |
| over the world. | | | | Correcting Errors For Clean Credit. |
| Clean Credit Reports, many financial advisors suggest | | | | To protect all your rights under the law and to keep |
| that you periodically review your credit report for | | | | your credit clean contact both the CRA and the |
| inaccuracies or omissions. This could be especially | | | | information provider. |
| important if you're considering making a major | | | | First to get clean credit reports, tell the credit reporting |
| purchase, such as buying a home. Checking in | | | | agency in writing what information you believe is |
| advance on the accuracy of information in your credit | | | | inaccurate. Include copies (please keep your originals) |
| file could speed the credit-granting process, clean | | | | of documents that support your position. In addition to |
| credit is a must. | | | | providing your complete name and address, your letter |
| Because businesses use this information to evaluate | | | | should clearly identify each item in your report you |
| your applications for credit, insurance, employment, and | | | | dispute, state the facts and explain why you dispute |
| other purposes allowed by the Fair Credit Reporting | | | | the information, and request deletion or correction. |
| Act (FCRA), it's important that the information in your | | | | Always keep copies of your dispute letter. |
| report is complete and accurate. | | | | They must reinvestigate the items in question, usually |
| Whenever you apply for any type of credit or | | | | within 30 days, unless they consider your dispute |
| financing, a credit report is pulled from at least one of | | | | frivolous. They also must forward all relevant data you |
| the three major credit bureaus. You want a clean | | | | provide about the dispute to the information provider. |
| credit report to be pulled. While there are hundreds of | | | | After the information provider receives notice of a |
| smaller credit bureaus around the country, virtually | | | | dispute from the CRA, it must investigate, review all |
| every credit bureau is affiliated with either Experian, | | | | relevant information provided by the CRA, and report |
| Trans Union, or Equifax. | | | | the results to the CRA. If the information provider finds |
| Getting Your Clean Credit Report | | | | the disputed information to be inaccurate, it must notify |
| If you've been denied credit, insurance, or employment | | | | all nationwide CRAs so they can correct this |
| because of information supplied by a credit reporting | | | | information in your file. Disputed information that cannot |
| agency, the FCRA says the company you applied to | | | | be verified must be deleted from your file, then you will |
| must give you the agency`s name, address, and | | | | recieve a clean credit report, with that item removed. |
| telephone number. If you contact the agency for a | | | | If your report contains erroneous information, the CRA |
| copy of your report within 60 days of receiving a | | | | must correct it(clean credit). |
| denial notice, the report is free. In addition, you're entitled | | | | If an item is incomplete, the CRA must complete it. For |
| to one free copy of your report a year. | | | | example, if your file showed that you were late making |
| If you simply want a copy of your report, call each | | | | payments ( 30 days or more), but failed to show that |
| credit bureau listed since more than one agency may | | | | you were no longer delinquent, the CRA must show |
| have a file on you, some with different information. | | | | that you're current. |