Creditors usually look at your credit score before they can give you any loan you have requested which is why it is so important that you have a good credit score in order to be eligible to receive a loan or Mortgage. You will have to be careful as there are many other websites that claim to provide you with your credit report but they may charge you so make you you get your credit score from the official websites. You can request your free credit report online by visiting the three credit reporting companies Equifax, Experian and TransUnion or you can just to to freecreditreport.gov to see all your credit reports on one website. It is the mandate of these three companies to provide you with your credit report every twelve months as per requirements of the Fair Credit Reporting Act.
About The Credit Report
The Fair Credit Reporting Act was passed to ensure that you get your credit report for free after every 12 months. The act promotes the accuracy and the privacy of the files given by the credit reporting companies. The credit report contains information like your personal information; your name, physical address, your social security number, date of birth and information about your current and previous employers. The report also contains your credit history information; this includes information about all the accounts opened under your name. The information about these accounts stays in your report for 7 to 10 years depending on certain factors. The credit report also contains information on any filed bankruptcy. The credit report however does not include bankruptcies that were filed more than ten years ago.
The credit report does not include information like ethnicity, your religion, gender, political affiliation, medical history, information about your checking and saving accounts or charged-off debts. Your credit score is not included in your credit report but it is generated from the information on your credit report. The length in which negative information stays on your credit report depends on the type of account. For bankruptcies the information filed stays on your credit report for 10 years while for credit accounts the information stays for 7 years from the day the account was inactive before it is removed.
How To Apply For Free Credit Report Online
- Go to the official website via the link provided above to request for your credit report
- Choose your state
- Click on ‘request report’
- Give your personal information
- Specify the number of reports you want
- Follow the instructions given
- Print out your information
Useful Links
- Official website for applying for your credit report: http://www.freecreditreport.gov
- Official Federal Trade Commission website: http://www.consumer.ftc.gov/
Written By
.