Get credit reports from all three major credit reporting agencies

Credit reports are record of a consumer’s credit activities. This report includes any loan or credit card account that he or she might be having, the balance and promptness in making payments. Credit report also includes information regarding any action that has been taken due to any unpaid bills. There are three main credit-reporting agencies that are responsible for gathering and selling credit information. All three credit reports come from these credit-reporting agencies. These agencies collect information related to credit activities, store it in huge databases and supply the information for a fee. All three credit reports contain the following information with certain differences:

Credit information: The accounts you might be having with retailers, banks, utility companies, credit card issuers and other lenders are mentioned in this segment.

Identifying information: Your name, current and previous address, social security number, current and previous employer, year of birth and if it is applicable then same information about your spouse as well.

Recent inquiries: This segment in all three credit reports contains names of people who have got a copy of your credit report within the past year.

Public record information: County and state records on tax liens, bankruptcy or any monetary judgment.

The information that is put in by consumer reporting agencies on all three credit reports is obtained from parties that have extended credit to you previously like a departmental store that issued a credit card or a bank that granted you a personal loan. You should obtain all your credit reports to avoid any unwelcome negative surprise when you apply for a loan, insurance or job. There are chances that due to some human errors there are might be inaccurate information on your report that can hamper your chances of getting a loan or even a good job.

You are supposed to get one free credit report every year from every consumer-reporting agency. You can request for the report online, through mail or phone. Provide all the relevant information that is required like your name, telephone number, social security number, address, date of birth and so on. These bureaus or agencies do not share information with each other.