Pulling Your Credit Report Online
by Jonathan P. Mann
Pulling your credit report at http://www.annualcreditreport.com is a good start.
You can pull all three agencies version for free. You’ll need to answer some security questions to verify your identity. Examples are: old addresses (they will provide the street name, you will need the address number and zip code), Old employers (they’ll have dates you worked and you’ll need to fill it the name. Sometimes it can be hard because they’ll abbreviate the name or there is a limited character space to enter in the name).
Also they will let you prove your identity by entering account numbers of different debts. They pick the debts so try and have all of your bills/statements avail in case.
You’ll need to create a login and password for some of the agencies. **HOLD ONTO that information** Lots of people fill it out and then lose it. You’ll need that info every time you pull these free reports every year, so keep it in a place you won’t misplace/lose it.
Consider paying for the add-on credit score option. You are getting a free credit report that does not affect you in a negative manner. It’s worth thinking about if you can afford it.
Disputes:
http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/credit/crdtdis.htm
That is a direct link to the disputes section for the FTC. It also has a sample letter you can use for the dispute process. Once you go over your credit report and find any inaccuracies etc send your dispute letters out the companies in question and the credit reporting agencies.
Below are the addresses for the credit reporting agencies:
CREDIT REPORTING AGENCIES
EQUIFAX
P.O. BOX 740241
ATLANTA, GA 30374
EXPERIAN
P.O. BOX 2002
ALLEN, TX 75013
TRANSUNION
P.O. BOX 1000
CHESTER, PA 19022