Getting Free Credit Reports

American consumers are allowed to check their credit annually from the three major credit reporting agencies: Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion. What most people make the mistake of doing is checking all three at once. It is wise to take advantage of this free annual service by spacing out credit checks over the course of the year, as a consumer can keep a closer eye on his or her quarterly credit reporting.

First, be sure to use an authorized credit reporting site. The free annual credit reporting process does not require a consumer to sign up for monthly monitoring, fraud alert protection service, or any other optional services provided by that specified reporting agency. If there are any previous credit reports available, gather them up for review and comparison purposes.

It is also necessary to have on hand any banking, past residence, or current credit card information, as sometimes it is needed during for verification purposes during the credit checking process. Next, choose which agency you wish to start the credit checking process with. If there have been previous credit reports in your name, it would be prudent to select the credit reporting agency that issued the oldest report.

This way, all information can be compared to previous information contained in the old credit report for a more-long term comparison. Be sure to keep a log of when you performed the new credit check, with what company you chose, and make sure to highlight any changes or discrepancies from the old credit report on to the new one.

To take full advantage of this process, try to space out the credit checks over an annual basis by performing a credit check every quarter. A good schedule to keep would be to perform checks in March, July and November. By checking your credit report with once agency during these months, a consumer is guaranteed to receive three updates during the year for free. 10) and check your FICO score. This is especially important for consumers planning to purchase new insurance, real estate, vehicles, or other avenues which require a company to perform a credit check. Having a clear, error-free credit report, along with an excellent FICO score, will greatly improve your chances of appearing to bank and finance companies as someone who is very responsible with their personal credit management.

Many people go for a large portion of their young adult lives causing havoc to their credit history. Others do not make an adequate credit history for themselves at all and are unable to purchase a car or home or other important things without the help of a cosigner. The best method to understand why this all happens can be done through simple credit history and score monitoring. The process is simple and does not require much more than a few pieces of information from the person who is running the check for information about credit history and scoring.

Why credit monitoring is necessary depends on what you need your credit for. Those who have generally good credit may wish to increase their credit score to be able to get a loan for a home in the near future. Those who may be paranoid about their credit score and the possibility of identity theft can use these options to help reduce the instances or take action against any instances whenever they appear on the history report.

The process is simple and is important to many people who need to keep tabs on their credit history. Results are often provided within minutes from the time a monitoring query is sent. Information on why credit monitoring can help restore credit is available. The simple monitoring can show you a list of the items which are negatively affecting an account. These can be contested if they are false or fraudulent to be removed from the credit history with due time.

Other people can ensure that their credit history remains in good standing by paying off forgotten debts and restoring the image of their good name in the business world where credit is the epitome of character. The use of these services helps individuals to stay on track and deal with legitimate marks as well as fraudulent ones on their accounts.

The process is no longer difficult to carry out and manage, especially if the credit check is for personal use. Accessing a credit report & monitoring the results is not very difficult to perform. The main pieces of information which will be used are the social security number and the name of the person being checked. This information used in combination can access a large amount of information regarding the status of the credit of the individual.