Free Annual Credit Report

Under the new law in 2004, all three credit reporting agencies must now disclose your free annual credit report every twelve months. The best approach to monitoring your credit history and credit score is to receive a free annual credit report from each of the agencies every four months. In that case, you will notice the change in your credit score with different credit conduct, payment patterns, and of course, the new credit scoring technologies available. Reviewing your updated free annual credit report is also a good way to make sure there is no identity theft or fraud associated with your name.

If you find some misrepresented information on your credit report do not just leave it there. Your best bet is to first call the creditor that reported the negative listing. See if they can send you a letter stating that they will remove it. Make a copy of that letter and send a formal dispute form to all three credit agencies. Do not rely on the creditor to fix your credit report for you; you may be waiting a long time and that will not you're your credit score a bit.

Disputing your credit listings isn't as hard as you may think. Most credit agencies have no way of actually proving the negative listing. Therefore, when you have a dispute keep a copy of your original proof if you have any and send a copy to the credit agency. Notify the agency of the dispute in a formal letter or use the attached dispute form that is included with the credit report. You may also want to make a copy of the credit report and circle your disputes along with a formal letter of dispute. Document the date you sent it and every corresponding material sent and received. The credit bureaus have thirty days to respond to your request. If they cannot prove the accuracy of your negative listing, they must remove it. Fortunately, they are not allowed to insert it back into your credit report unless they have found that the negative listing was accurate. Nevertheless, the credit bureaus must send you a written notice of the newly listed negative listing.

Just reviewing your free annual credit report and not disputing anything will get you nowhere. If you have negative listings, it is imperative that you dispute it as quickly as you can.

To receive a copy of your TransUnion or Equifax Credit Report, simply click on the link below and fill out a short form.

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