|
Home / Finance / Credit
Credit Reports! When You’re Not Watching Your Credit, Who Is?
By:William L.
This may be old news, or this may be information that has just come to light for you, but your credit and consumer habits are being monitored, and unless you take some action to obtain the necessary credit reports, you more than likely don’t know if you’re credit worthy or not!
Requesting your credit report does one of two things; first it keeps you on top of what’s being reported about you and your financial habits. If you have missed previous monthly payments, have creditors and financial lenders hounding you for their funds, or you have the annoying collectors calling you everyday, then the odds are you will have all this reported at specific bureaus, such as Equifax and Transunion, to name a few.
The second reason to check your personal report at these select bureau companies is because there is an increase in credit and identity fraud, and even though you have gone through most of your life with no problems, it only takes one occurrence where a credit thief steals your identity and/or credit information, and you then have to spend many months of painful damage control in trying to re-establish your credit rating and identity.
When I acquired my first credit score, I was amazed on how much detail was on that report. The day you sign-up for your first credit card, or sign for your first loan, your credit history is recorded on virtually every action you take. Again, many of you may already know this, but for the individuals that are new to this information, this is the time to research further, and really understand how credit bureaus create reporting information and your identity reports.
When Is The Right Time To Obtain These Reports From The Variety Of Bureaus!
Depending on whom you talk to, whether it’s your bank or any other financial institution you’re currently dealing with, most may say that you should check your personal history periodically and in some cases once a year. Even if you make your monthly payments on time, or pay off your debt in full, you would be surprised at how many times there can be a mistake or error placed on your report, and you wouldn’t even know it until you go to qualify for a personal loan, or possibly your first mortgage.
Imagine when you decide to visit your bank as a first-time homeowner, you’re ready to sit down and negotiate a really good interest rate, and your mortgage agent turns to you and says that there are credit issues on your bureau report. Not only would this be a shock to you, but also it would probably make you feel really embarrassed finding this out through your financial institution.
You can avoid that embarrassment as you check bureaus regularly and have them provide you a written personal report on you to check for any inaccuracies. If you know that you have a less than accurate history, then these credit reports will give you a guideline where you can start to repair the damage that’s already done, and this way you can give your bank the head’s up and give yourself better negotiation leverage.
Now if you’re thinking that you don’t need to check for errors or discrepancies, because you don’t ever plan on getting a loan or mortgage in the future, then you should consider the other side of contacting Equifax and Transunion to obtain information to make sure you’re protected from credit theft.
This would apply to everyone, however, for individuals that do purchases in a variety of avenues including over the Internet, I would recommend that you verify and check frequently to make sure no one has obtained your identity. I know you may say that this could never happen to you, but if it did, wouldn’t you feel better that you caught it quickly to avoid major damage to your reputation and good credit that took you so many years to establish. In a matter of days, you can have your excellent rating damaged due to some thief that is currently using your identity!
I Would Like To Get My Hands On My Report History, How Can I Do This?
If you’re currently searching ways to obtain your report’s score, you can easily get a free credit bureau copy by either contacting the online bureaus, or checking locally to see if you have agencies that will do this service for free.
You should not have to pay money for your reports, and when you contact the bureaus directly, they will instruct you on what information is required to have your free reports sent to you in the mail. However, there are services online and in your local area that provide reporting and identity protection services, but I will go into more detail on those types of services in another article. In conclusion, if you’re so new at obtaining this necessary information, or you just don’t have the time, a paid service may be an option for you to consider, and we can touch on these topics another time.
Digg
del.icio.us
Blink
Stumble
Spurl
Reddit
Netscape
Furl
Article keywords: credit reports, credit, report, reports, information, privacy, free, score, identity, online, theft, credit report
Article Source: http://www.articles2k.com
About the author: William is the Author and owner of “Free Credit Repair Information” available at www.free-credit-repair-information.com Your source for Free Credit Reports and Repair Information! We offer free information to help you find the right debt assistance for your financial needs. Also view our informative articles and our personal Review Page listing select online debt and credit service companies offering consolidation services and online bad credit loans for quick and easy comparisons.
|
|
| Top Credit Articles |
- 1). What Is a Good Credit Score – How Can I Raise Mine? By : Peter Crump
What is a good credit score? When you request a free copy of your credit report, you will find a score assigned to your credit history. This score will determine whether or not creditors will grant you the loan or credit that you want because it gives them an idea of your risk to repay. Generally, the answer to the question “what is a good credit score?” is the higher the better.
|
- 2). Paying Off Your Credit Card Balances: Running The Numbers By : Stephen L. Nelson, CPA
Ever thought about paying off your credit card balances? Maybe you would like to be debt free just to reduce your stress. Or perhaps you need to be debt free to retire.
If you have Microsoft Excel running on your computer at home or work, you can use Excel’s NPER function to calculate how quickly you can pay off a debt such as a credit card balance.
|
- 3). Credit Card Faq - Credit Card Security And Authentication By : Joseph Kenny
With the ever rising reports of credit card fraud, fraudulent use, internet phishing and identity theft, people are rightly concerned about credit card security. Fraudulent credit card use can be an annoyance at best, and seriously damage your credit at worst. It's only reasonable that people have questions about credit card security and authentication methods.
|
- 4). Online Credit Card Application: The Easiest Way To A Customer’s Heart By : David Riewe
Many credit cards are offered in the market today thus, making companies more aggressive in advertising and marketing their card services. These companies (e.g. banks, department stores, specialty stores, airlines, hotels, etc.) have found a powerful tool in catching the attention of prospective card holders: online credit card application.
What advantage/s does online credit card application offer?
The bottom line of online credit card application is “convenience”.
|
- 5). How To Build Up Your Credit By : Ken Snow
There are many effective ways to build credit. In order to keep creditors from bothering you, and in order for you to get a loan with a reasonable interest rate, you need to learn how to build your credit. The best place to start is to not buy things that you don’t need. If you always make impulse buys, you will find yourself in deeper debt very quickly.
|
- 6). Best Rewards Credit Cards By : Richie Chapin
It's almost a guarantee when you check your mailbox you will have a couple pieces of mail offering you a pre-approved credit card. Now most people will casually discard them without any regard to the offer that is inside. But before you throw away that credit card offer you may want to take a peek at it. Many credit card companies are now offering you FREE rewards just for using your credit card.
|
- 7). How to Choose the Right Credit Card For You By : Richie Chapin
So your thinking about getting a credit card but your not exactly sure what to look for right? Well there are a lot of different things to consider when applying for a credit card. Some things to think about are the interest rate, annual fees and features the credit card may offer. Here are a few tips that will help you choose the best credit card for you.
|
|
|
- 9). Credit Bureaus Adopt New Credit Scoring System By : Rick Hendershot
The three major consumer credit bureaus in the U.S. have recently created a new credit scoring system that will give financial institutions a more consistent evaluation of the credit worthiness of applicants.
The three agencies -- Equifax, Experian and Transunion -- have introduced the new system called "VantageScore". The new scoring system will be used immediately for reporting to banks, lenders, and credit card companies, and will be available to consumers later in the year.
|
- 10). The Travails Of The Pros And Cons Of A Small Business Credit Card By : Sohel Katir
For small business credit card getting a sense out of a deal is, in some instances, the most difficult thing to do. This is because most people could not instantly figure out the benefits they can derive from obtaining it.
Take for example the case of small business credit card. Some people contend that business credit cards are crucial in the growth of a business, while other s contend that it is just one way of losing their investments.
|
| New Credit Articles |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
- 10). Paying The Price Of Credit Card Jumping By : Joseph Kenny
Having a debt and paying no interest on it seems almost too good to be true. But many consumers use their credit cards to do just that. The process is known as rate surfing or credit card jumping.
|
|
|
