Different ways to obtain a credit report

A credit report contains important information such as your name, birth details, social security number, employment history, billing history, prior address, home ownership and all legal records such as criminal record, tax liens, foreclosure and if you have been sued or filed for bankruptcy. This information is usually sold by the Consumer Reporting Agencies to the credit bureaus. You can view all your financial history by obtaining a copy of credit at any time. According to the Fair Credit Reporting Act, you can get hold of credit copy at your own convenience. Moreover, you can also find out if anyone has ever viewed your credit report in the last two years.

If you are unemployed and expect to get employed within 60 days or so, you should get a free credit report copy as it's the first thing your employers would seek. You can also use credit report copy if you are unable to get credit or you feel that there are errors in your history and some suspicious activity is going on. If there is some incorrect information on your report, you should immediately contact the issuing authority and get the errors fixed. Inaccurate information on your credit report can lead to serious consequences, if not taken care of in time.

No matter what the reason for having a credit report copy, you can obtain the report with these simple steps:

Get a copy from Callcredit, Equifax or Experian

Due to the increasing rate of identity theft and felony, the government has added new provisions to the Fair Credit Reporting Act, and now, all American citizens can get a free credit report by visiting official websites. All you need to do is sign up and get a free copy every year.

Other Online Sources for Credit Report

You can also get a free copy from many other websites, where users are only required to sign up with their email, but you risk getting emails you don't want.

Request a copy upon denial for credit

Anyone who applied for credit but faced rejection can avail the free copy by requesting their issuing agency. You also avail the benefit of receiving a free report if you are under some kind of welfare. It is recommended that you obtain your credit report and do your best to correct any problems before you need to borrow any credit. Some issues may take a little time to put right.