How you can check your credit report

How you can check your credit report

1. Get a copy of your free credit report annually at https://www.annualcreditreport.com/cra/index.jsp.  You will not see credit scores on this report.
2. Review it carefully for errors.
3. Dispute any account that does not belong to you by writing to the bureau that is reporting the information.  You may have only one or all three bureaus reporting on each account.  The bureau that is reporting is encoded as: BX1= Experian, BU1= TransUnion, BQ1 = Equifax.  The contact information for each bureau can be found near the end of the credit report.  (If the credit report also lists CX1, CU1 or CQ1, there is a co-borrower.)  Make sure you include the following in your dispute letter to the reporting credit bureau: Your Name, Address, Daytime Phone Number, Your Social Security Number, the Name on the Account you are disputing, the Account Number You are Disputing and the Dollar Amount in Dispute.  Also include the reason you are disputing the account.  Example:  I have never been a customer of ABC Cellular.
4. Use your credit report to see where your problem areas are and then start correcting them one at a time.  See my next blog.
5. Look at the "Public Records" section of your credit report located near the end of the report.  This is where they show Liens, Judgments, Bankruptcy's etc.  If you have already paid the lien or judgment you will need to provide proof to the court named that you have paid it.  Call first to see what they require.  Be prepared to pay a small fee.  Or, in the case of judgments, you can contact the party who obtained the judgment and request that they file the release.  In most cases, judgments and liens will have to be cleared to obtain a mortgage loan.
6. There is also a "Database Residence Information" section on your credit report.  Make sure all of these addresses are correct.  If there is an address in Cleveland and you have always lived in Cincinnati, start looking for fraudulent accounts.
7. Check the "Applicant Name" section.  This will show all the versions and variations of your name that you use when applying for credit, including maiden names for women.  Make sure that there are no variations from what you would normally use.  Minor typos happen.

Hope this helps.  More to come!

Jackie