A few months ago I showed how to check your credit file disclosure, most commonly known as a credit report without a score.
The website: www.AnnualCreditReport.com , sponsored by the three credit aggregate companies (Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion) offer a free peak at your file. Of course, this was not in their business plan as they are in the business of selling you the report with the score and other “credit monitoring” services and such, but a recommendation by the Federal Trade Commission persuaded them to offer the report for free once a year.
Since you have the opportunity to review each companies file once a year (and they are pretty much the same) then I recommend you review one company’s report every 4 months. Here is how you get your free report from Experian:
1) Go to www.AnnualCreditReport.com and select your State in the box titled “Start Here”
2) Begin the process by opening an account and enter your information.
3) Chose a report from the three possible companies
4) Confirm your information by entering the last 4 digits of your Social Security number. You will be transferred the company’s website for the free report.
5) You will be offered other services. Click on the gray “Annual Credit Report” button unless you want the other paid services.
6) Agree to the terms and conditions and verify you have ordered your credit report at no charge.
7) Answer credit-specific security questions
These questions are multiple choice and pertain to accounts in your file, so it might be a good idea to have your mortgage, car loan, and other financial account information nearby. No one will be able to review your report without answering these questions correctly.
At this point you will be able to review, print, and find information on how to dispute any inaccuracies. Make sure any old accounts show as “closed” and that all the current accounts are actually yours.
