When reviewing your credit report, you should focus on the following:
- See who's been looking at your credit report
- Check for new derogatory information
- Verify newly opened accounts
- Watch for several indicators of possible credit fraud
Top 3 Credit Report Companies
Firms such as Experian, Equifax and TransUnion offer free credit reports. You do need to be careful however because these are typically tied to a 30 day trial and they attempt to upsale you after the fact. Below is a brief summary of each company:
Experian
With approximately 30 years of experience and more than 30,000 clients in North America, Experian combines our unsurpassed data with the knowledge, expertise and creativity to help companies build successful relationships with their customers. Experian also provides U.S. consumers with the tools and services to help them understand, manage and protect their personal credit profiles.
Equifax
Equifax has been providing value-added information solutions to businesses and consumers for over 105 years. Today, Equifax is a global service provider with over $1.2 billion in annual revenue and 4600 employees in 13 countries.
From first opening its doors in 1899, Equifax has a rich heritage and a distinguished track record of market leadership. The road to success has been paved by maintaining a strong focus on strategic growth, product development, and technology innovation to deliver powerful solutions to our customers.
Throughout its history, Equifax employees have been guided by a common set of practices and values called The Equifax Way. These values have established a strong and steadfast foundation for ensuring the highest levels of integrity, trust, ethics, and privacy in all of our business activities.
TransUnion
TransUnion helps Prevent fraud, create credit options,
manage risk, and identify customers. Discover all the
benefits TransUnion brings to your bottom line.
TransUnion is a leading global provider of business intelligence services supported by more than 3600 employees, in more than 24 countries worldwide. With technology-based intelligence products, including innovative credit decisioning and fraud prevention tools, advanced target marketing products, risk and profitability models and portfolio management, TransUnion enables businesses to manage financial risk and capitalize on market opportunities.
Development of all TransUnion products is driven by the needs and input of our customers. We maintain highly qualified, highly responsive people in key areas throughout the country and around the globe. So whether your business needs are in Chicago or Columbia, Kansas or Kenya, TransUnion representatives know your industry and understand your specific regional requirements. Together, we work with you to find-or create-the best tools to optimize your business.
Consumers trust TransUnion to provide businesses with an accurate, unbiased picture of their financial capabilities. Because of readily available credit histories, consumers are able to pursue otherwise unavailable opportunities and receive better, more competitive options. In fact, many consumers obtain their own TransUnion Credit Report and score before applying for credit; with their TransUnion Credit Report in hand, consumers can approach potential creditors from a position of knowledge and confidence.
Basics of Credit Reports
In much the same way that a resume displays your work experience to a prospective employer, a credit report provides prospective creditors (and in some cases employers and insurers too) with a detailed picture of your credit history. And like a resume, your credit report can influence whether you will receive what you are applying for.
Ideally, your credit report is an accurate, up-to-date reflection of your credit history. However, since we don't live in an ideal world, there are many reasons that your credit report could contain inaccuracies that might prevent you from receiving the credit you deserve. The good news is you can take action to keep your report accurate. Here are the top five reasons why you should make a practice of regularly reviewing your credit report:
Inaccuracies & Mixed Credit Files
Many inaccuracies on a credit report
can be the result of simple human
error, and are therefore are not difficult to dispute.
Of course, if you
don't order your credit report, you might never know about
it. Whether the inaccuracies relate to payments not credited,
late payments, or data mixed in from the credit file of
someone else with a name similar to yours, you will want
to contact the credit bureau to dispute inaccurate information
promptly.
Tracking Payments
One of the most important elements of credit is a demonstrated
history of on time payments. Once you send the check though,
anything can happen--a delay in the payment being received
can kick you over to a 30-day delinquency. If you call
your creditor and explain the situation, they might adjust
the information. Of course, if you don't read your credit
report, you won't necessarily know which payments are
being received and reported properly.
Credit Fraud--Unauthorized Charges
Credit fraud involves the theft of your credit card or
account number to
make unauthorized charges to your account. Though consumers
are protected financially from this abuse, other creditors
may take note of all this activity and decide to raise
your interest rates or refuse to grant you a
loan. Ordering your credit report will help you catch
new activity on
accounts that you haven't been using, or may have closed.
When it comes to managing your credit worthiness, your
credit report is your best resource. Ordering your credit
report gives you the opportunity to manage your credit
wisely today, while planning your credit strategy for
achieving future goals--a credit-savvy move every consumer
should make!
