| Want to know more about your financial health? Do | | | | you will mail it to: Annual Credit Report Request |
| what all your current or potential creditors do: discover | | | | Service, P.O. Box 105281, Atlanta, GA 30348-5281. Visit |
| your credit score from your personal credit report. | | | | the Federal Trade Commission website (ftc.gov) to |
| Credit reports are usually produced to verify whether | | | | get a copy of this form. |
| you are eligible for a loan or on any other forms of | | | | Whether or not you get your free credit score from all |
| credit based on your past credit history. This credit | | | | three companies on the same day or at different |
| report will detail how well you handled your past credit | | | | times is up to you. The law allows you one report from |
| transactions with different creditors. Your credit report | | | | each company in a twelve month period. |
| is like a job evaluation -- it reveals whether you have | | | | A couple of tips: |
| met your responsibilities in a satisfactory way or not. | | | | • Don't contact these reporting companies directly. |
| You can obtain your credit score and other | | | | They will provide your annual free credit score only |
| credit-related information from any of the three major | | | | through one of these three methods. |
| credit-reporting agencies. | | | | • Read the reports carefully. Look for any |
| • Equifax | | | | mistakes or incomplete info. Of course, you should also |
| • Experian | | | | look for weak spots of your own making - payments |
| • TransUnion | | | | that you have missed, etc. |
| They are all part of a program that will give you a free | | | | • Look for any applications for credit that you don't |
| credit score once a year. There several ways to get | | | | recognize. It could be a clue that someone is trying to |
| that information: | | | | steal your identity in order to run up some bills in your |
| • Via the web: | | | | name. |
| Visit | | | | Conclusion |
| • Via telephone: | | | | Your credit report is like a job evaluation: if you have a |
| Call 1-877-322-8228 | | | | good one, you'll go far. If you have a bad one, your |
| • Via mail: | | | | future opportunities will be limited. Make sure you know |
| You'll need to complete a form called "The Annual | | | | what yours says so that you can rectify any problems |
| Credit Report Request Form." Once you've done that, | | | | before they get out of hand. |