Get Your Free Credit Report EVERY Year!
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As of June 2005, Texans are entitled to receive a FREE copy of their credit report each year from the three credit reporting agencies, Experian, Equifax and TransUnion. Why is this important to you? You may want to review your credit report:  because the information it contains affects whether you can get a loan - and how much you will have to pay to borrow money. to make sure the information is accurate, complete, and up-to-date before you apply for a loan to make a major purchase such as a house or car, buy insurance, or apply for a job. to help guard against identity theft, a growing type of crime in which someone uses your personal information - like your name, your Social Security number, or your credit card number - to commit fraud.
A credit report contains information such as where you live, how you pay your bills, and whether you've been sued, arrested, or if you filed for bankruptcy. Sometimes the information can be erroneous. You need to correct it to protect your ability to borrow money, obtain employment or buy insurance. Your credit affects many areas of your life. |
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Making it easy for you The three nationwide consumer reporting agencies have set up one central Web site, a toll-free telephone number and a mailing address through which you can obtain your credit report easily. See the sidebar in this article for information. When you call or write, please include your name, address, Social Security Number. If you have moved in the past two years, you may need to provide your previous address. You can only obtain this annual free credit report through the contact methods in this article, not by contacting the individual credit reporting agencies directly. Also, the Federal Trade Commission warns, if you receive an e-mail or see a pop-up ad claiming to be from www.annualcreditreport.com or any of the credit reporting agencies, DO NOT REPLY. It is probably a scam. Get Your Credit Score You can purchase your credit score by contacting one of the nationwide consumer credit reporting companies Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. Their contact information: You can also purchase a credit score when you request your free annual credit report through the www.annualcreditreport.com Web site. |
