My Free Credit Report

The free credit reports came into being through the Fair Credit Reporting Act which directed all consumer reporting companies to give any credit card owner a copy of his/her credit card's report at least once within a period of twelve months. The three main consumer reporting companies in the U.S are TransUnion, Equifax and Experian. These three consumer reporting companies are also answerable to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).

What is included in a credit report?

The credit report contains detailed information pertaining to your income and expenditure transactions as well as the individual's personal history regarding your residence, your records on bill payments such as electricity, gas and even rental payments. It also includes your employment and earnings or wages report. This is possible since it records any monetary transactions that you carry out using the registered payment systems.

The consumer reporting companies provide your annual credit card report for free although they regularly do business with your credit card information. This happens when you send an application for credit facility to any financial institution and they are interested in knowing your credit worthiness, they pay some little fees to the consumer reporting companies in return for your credit report to enable them make an informed decision on your application.

How do I go about filing for my free credit report?

The process of filling for your free credit report is not at all complicated; for starters you need to give the following information to the consumer reporting company; your name and address, the date of birth as well as your social security number. Incase you have been able to change residence within the previous two years, then it might also be necessary to provide your last address to the consumer reporting company. The consumer reporting companies may ask you some very detailed personal information such s your wages, mortgage payments among others as all this information affects the status of your credit card.

What is the importance of free credit report?

The free credit report is very important as it gives an in-depth analysis on your credit worthiness. incase you want to apply for a loan, it is very important to verify you credit report since the financial company fro where you want the loan will use this information to determine your interest rates as well as the amount of credit you can receive among other trivial financial issues.