Order Credit Reports from Major Credit Reporting Agencies

According to the Fair Credit Reporting Act, major credit reporting bureaus are required to provide people with a free copy of their credit reports once in a year. However, a free copy of your credit report will be provided only on your request. Perhaps you know that your credit report is in some way a reflection of your financial behaviour. Still, you may have a common question like why you need to order your credit report.

Well, you should realize that your credit report plays a critical role in the way a lender will see you as a potential borrower, an employer will see you as a potential employee, etc. If you have a positive credit history, it will be a heck of a lot easier for you to obtain a loan at favorable interest rates, a good job, a good apartment for rent, and so on. Everything is pretty simple: lenders like dealing with reliable people, be it a borrower, an employee, etc. So, the more positive your credit history is, the more benefits you have. I should say, it all looks pretty fair – say, if I pay my bills, taxes, etc diligently, I wouldn't like a person who doesn't to get a loan at a lower interest, and I guess you wouldn't either.

That is why it's important that you check your credit report regularly and make sure that it contains accurate and up-to-date information. Moreover, by checking your credit report regularly, you protect yourself against the possibility of identity theft. Now, let's see how you can order your credit report to check it.

Order Online Credit History Report

There is an official website of the three major credit reporting bureaus. Besides, these bureaus offer a central toll-free phone number, and mail. All of these are the ways you can order your credit report for free every year. So, the website is annualcreditreport.com, the phone number is 1-877-322-8228, and the address to send the Annual Credit Report Request Form to is: Annual Credit Report Request Service, P.O. Box 105281, Atlanta, GA 30348-5281. Thus, there is no need to get in touch with each credit reporting agency separately.

In order to order your credit report you'll need to provide certain information that includes your name, address, date of birth, and social security number. For better security, you may be requested to provide some information that only you would know. If you order an online credit report, you'll be able to access it instantaneously. That is why so many people choose to order credit report online. As for other ways mentioned above, getting your credit report ordered by phone should take you about 15 days, and the same term can be expected if you order your credit report by mail. However, each case is individual, and for that reason the terms may vary.

Many people face the question, whether they should order their credit report from only one credit reporting bureau, or from all the three bureaus. Actually, the choice is up to you, but I would recommend that you order your credit report from all the three credit reporting agencies. That is because every agency may have slightly different information about your credit history since not all creditors and employers report to all the three agencies. On the other hand, lenders tend to check credit reports from all the three agencies, and you should be able to check the accuracy of all of those.