Do you know what the three major credit reporting agencies have to say about your credit profile? We do.
Just to remind everyone, you can get an absolutely free credit
report once every 12 months from www.annualcreditreport.com. (Not to be
confused with www.freecreditreport.com....they are NOT free~)
The three reporting agencies, Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion are all available on that site.
My husband and I check our reports every year at this time. I'm always amazed how much changes in just one year! For instance, I recently closed a BofA account for hubby and me. When I checked with Experian, they showed the account as still open...but Equifax showed it as closed. I was able to do a quick online dispute to explain the account Experian showed had been closed. It's sooo much easier than years ago when I did all this through the mail.
I used to work checking credit for people who wanted to lease cars. That opened my eyes to how screwed up a credit report can become without someone's knowledge.
One time, when I checked my husband's report, I found his credit had co-mingled with his dads! What a nightmare that was. Another time, my credit had been hijacked by someone else posing as me. (Identity theft.)
Please check your reports. It may mean the difference between getting hired at that company you want to work for, getting the house you love, or even if your insurance rates will go up! No kidding.
Sorry to be preachy, but I just know how important this is to check at least once a year. For free, who wouldn't?
Speaks for Itself
- Ametrine
on Dec. 30, 2011 at 5:12 PM