Frequently
Asked Questions
- Reading
your credit report
- What
information is in the credit file?
- How
does information get in the credit file?
- How
long does information stay in the credit file?
- Who
can look at my credit file?
- What
questions can a creditor ask?
- How
does divorce affect a credit report?
-
What is a national
credit bureau?
-
What is a
Credit Reporting Agency (CRA) e.g. OneSource Credit
Reporting LLC?
-
How
long does a federal tax lien stay on my credit report?
-
Can my doctor’s
name appear on my credit report if I didn’t
pay the bill?
- What
should I know about a bankruptcy?
- What
are Public Records?
- What
are Inquiries?
- What
is a Credit Score?
- How
is my credit score created?
- What
can I do to improve my credit score?
- How
to request your credit report.
- Identity
Theft
- Your
Rights Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act
<Back to Top>
Receiving
a copy of your credit report can cause more questions
than provides answers. It is important to understand
that there are three national credit bureaus (repositories
of consumer credit information): Equifax, TransUnion
and Experian.
Each
of the credit reports provided by these credit bureaus
may contain different information. This is because
contributing of credit information (accounts receivable)
is voluntary, not all credit grantors contribute their
accounts receivable information to the credit bureaus,
some only contribute to one bureau, some contribute
to 2 bureaus and some contribute to all three bureaus.
Most of your national credit grantors, Mastercard,
Visa, etc contribute to all three credit bureaus on
a monthly basis.
<Back to Top>
Any
company that has issued credit to a consumer, whether
it involves a charge account, bank loan, auto loan,
mortgage loan, education loan, collection or charge
off account, can provide information to the national
credit bureaus. These companies must become members
of the national credit bureaus and adhere to the permissible
purposes requirements, as well as the bureaus’
requirements for reporting information.
Each
of the three credit bureaus has a different format
for producing their credit reports. It is also important
to know that a report provided directly to the consumer
by the three credit bureaus and a report that is provided
to a creditor, mortgage lender/broker will be in a
different format. Most of the time a mortgage lender/broker
will obtain credit from all three bureaus and this
information is merged into one file for the lender
to read. This format is easier for a lender to read.
The consumer credit report is more consumer-friendly.
All
credit reports, however, display their information
in four different groups; Identifying information,
credit history, public records and inquiries.
Identifying
information is simply the information that identifies
you; your name, address, social security number.
 |
The
report will also reflect any variations in the
identifying information when you applied for credit
due to our old favorite “human error”
e.g. you can cause a file variation by using a
nickname, or forgetting your social security number
and putting down the wrong social security number
on an application or simply by not writing clearly
when completing your credit application leaving
the credit grantor to guess. |
|
The
credit grantor can also cause a “human error”
file variation by not inputting the information
correctly that you provided. |
|
These
file variations will stay on your credit report
but generally do not have much importance when
viewing by a potential credit grantor. |
|
If
you purposely use a different social security
number or name, you may fool the bureaus for a
short period of time. But eventually their sophisticated
matching algorithms will be able to identify all
the trade belonging to you. |
|
|
Other
identifying information might include previous addresses,
also known as names (maiden names, previous marital
names), your date of birth and current and previous
employments.
Credit
History is the information provided by the credit
grantor. In the credit world these accounts are known
as tradelines. Each tradeline will contain:
|
the
account number assigned by the credit grantor |
|
date
the account was opened by the credit grantor |
|
the
credit limit established at the time the account
was opened, or the highest balance you have
ever used on that account |
|
the
balance owing at the time the creditor reported
the information to the bureau |
|
the date last payment was made |
|
the
date the account information was last reported
to the credit bureaus (which could be monthly
or periodically depending on the credit grantors
internal procedures) |
|
who
is responsible for the account (individual,
joint, co-maker, authorized user) |
|
and,
most importantly, if and when the account payment
was ever 30 days or more late |
<Back to Top>
Any
company that has issued credit to a consumer, whether
it involves a charge account, bank loan, auto loan,
mortgage loan, education loan, collection or charge
off account, can provide information to the national
credit bureaus. These companies must become members
of the national credit bureaus and adhere to the permissible
purposes requirements, as well as the bureaus’
requirements for reporting information.
<Back to Top>
In
general, there is a “7 year rule” for
reporting derogatory information depending on the
type of account that contains the derogatory information.
|
Open
accounts, without any derogatory information,
can remain in the file indefinitely. There is
no law that governs “good account information.”
However, most creditors will stop reporting
a trade to the national credit bureaus after
7 years from the date of last activity on the
account.
|
|
Derogatory
information, such as late payments, collections,
charge offs, repossessions stay on the file
for 7 years. |
|
Paid
tax liens, 7 years from date of payment. |
|
Unpaid
Federal tax liens remain on the file until paid,
or 10 years if in accordance to Title 26 IRS
Code, 6502(a)(1). |
|
Chapter
13, 7 years from date filed (date of entry of
the order of relief). |
|
Chapter
7, 10 years from date filed (date of entry of
the order of relief). |
<Back to Top>
Any
company that has issued credit to a consumer, whether
it involves a charge account, bank loan, auto loan,
mortgage loan, education loan, collection or charge
off account, can provide information to the national
credit bureaus. These companies must become members
of the national credit bureaus and adhere to the permissible
purposes requirements, as well as the bureaus’
requirements for reporting information.
<Back to Top>
In
general, there is a “7 year rule” for
reporting derogatory information depending on the
type of account that contains the derogatory information.
|
Open
accounts, without any derogatory information,
can remain in the file indefinitely. There is
no law that governs “good account information.”
However, most creditors will stop reporting a
trade to the national credit bureaus after 7 years
from the date of last activity on the account.
|
|
Derogatory
information, such as late payments, collections,
charge offs, repossessions stay on the file for
7 years. |
|
Paid
tax liens, 7 years from date of payment. |
|
Unpaid
Federal tax liens remain on the file until paid,
or 10 years if in accordance to Title 26 IRS Code,
6502(a)(1). |
|
Chapter
13, 7 years from date filed (date of entry of
the order of relief). |
|
Chapter
7, 10 years from date filed (date of entry of
the order of relief). |
<Back to Top>
Who
can look at my credit file?
Section
604 of the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) sets forth
the requirements called “permissible purposes,”
that must be met before anyone can inquire into your
confidential credit file. You can find the complete
text of the FCRA, 15 U.S.C §1681-1681u, at the
Federal Trade Commission’s web site (hhtp://www.ftc.gov).
In general, a consumer reporting agency may furnish
a report under the following circumstances:
|
In
response to subpoena issued in connection with
proceedings before a Federal grand jury.
|
|
In
connection with a credit transaction. |
|
For
employment purposes. |
|
For
insurance underwriting purposes. |
|
In
response to request by head of a state or local
child support enforcement agency. |
|
A
business transaction that is initiated by the
consumer. |
|
To
review an account to determine whether consumer
continues to meet the terms of the account. |
<Back
to Top>
What
questions can a creditor ask?
The
Equal Credit Opportunity Act was established to make
sure everyone is treated fairly when they apply for
credit. A lender or creditor cannot say, write or
advertise in a manner which would discourage an individual
from applying for credit.
A
creditor MAY NOT:
|
Discourage
you from applying because of your sex, marital
status, age, race, national origin or because
you receive public assistant income.
|
|
Ask
you to reveal your sex, race, color, religion
or national origin. If you are applying for a
real estate loan, a creditor may ask you to “voluntarily”
disclose this information (except for religion).
This information helps federal agencies enforce
anti-discrimination laws. |
|
Ask
about your marital status when you are applying
for an individual unsecured account, unless you
live in a community property state: Arizona, California,
Idaho, Louisiana, Nevada, New Mexico, Texas and
Washington. A creditor in any state may ask for
this information if you apply for a joint account
or one secured by property. |
|
Ask
if you’re widowed or divorced. When permitted
to ask about marital status, a creditor may only
use the terms: married, unmarried or separated.
|
|
About
your plans for having children. |
|
About
whether you receive child support, alimony or
separate maintenance payments unless you will
rely on that income to show credit worthiness
to pay back the debt. |
|
if
a woman, inquire if you will stop working to raise
children. |
<Back to Top>
How
does divorce affect a credit report?
A divorce decree does not relieve you of responsibility
with the original creditor if you signed the original
contract. If an account was awarded to an ex-spouse
in the divorce decree, you must contact the original
creditor and request that you be released from the
obligation. It is up to the creditor whether they
will release you from your contractual responsibility.
<Back to Top>
What
is a national credit bureau?
There are three national credit bureaus (repositories
of credit information) that collect and maintain credit
information on millions of consumers. These bureaus
are Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. The national
credit bureaus collect the information from both national
and local banks, credit card companies and collection
agencies. The bureaus also gather public record information
concerning unpaid taxes, liens, judgments and bankruptcies
on a national basis.
The
companies that provide their account information to
the national credit bureaus must become a member of
the credit bureau and provide their information to
the bureau in accordance with the bureaus’ requirements.
Most of these companies will submit their information
every 30 to 60 days; however, there are no laws that
govern how often or who should report their account
information to the national credit bureaus. The national
credit bureaus are always soliciting information from
companies in order to enhance the quality of their
data base.
<Back to Top>
What
is a Credit Reporting Agency (CRA) e.g. OneSource Credit
Reporting LLC?
A CRA does not gather or maintain credit information.
There are several hundred independently owned CRAs
nationwide. Through unique and advanced technology,
a CRA allows lenders/creditors the ability to access
the credit files from all three national credit bureaus.
The information is then merged into one file and the
duplicate trades deleted; providing the lender/creditor
with one easy-to-read credit report which contains
the information from all three bureaus. CRAs are more
commonly used by the mortgage lending industry. CRAs
offer a valuable product with their local presence,
national coverage, knowledgeable customer service,
rapid rescores and other products that are designed
to assist the fast paced mortgage industry.
<Back to Top>
How
long does a federal tax lien stay on my credit report?
In accordance with Title 26 IRS Code, Section 6502(a)(1),
IRS’ ability to collect any federal tax expires
10 years after it assesses the tax, unless it commences
a lawsuit to collect the tax, obtains a favorable
court judgment and periodically renews the judgment.
The 10 year time period begins to run on the date
IRS assesses the tax, not on the date it files a tax
lien.
<Back to Top>
Can my doctor’s
name appear on my credit report if I didn’t pay
the bill?
In accordance with the FACTA (Fair and Accurate Credit
Transactions Act) which was signed into law December
2003, a consumer reporting agency shall not furnish
for employment purposes, or in connection with a credit
or insurance transaction, a consumer report that contains
medical information other than medical contact information.
In response to this requirement, the national credit
bureaus are reporting any medical provider name only
as “medical” on the credit report.
<Back to Top>
What
should I know about a bankruptcy?
BANKRUPTCY
|
Bankruptcy |
|
What
is Personal Bankruptcy? |
|
Before you file for Personal Bankruptcy... |
|
What
is Involuntary Bankruptcy? |
|
Chapter
13 Wage Earner Debt Adjustment |
|
Chapter
7 Liquidation |
|
Dischargeable
Debt |
|
Non-dischargeable Debt |
|
Dismissed Case |
|
Automatic Stay |
|
Bankruptcy affect on a Joint Account Holder or
Co-Signer |
|
Bankruptcy affect on a divorce |
|
How often can a Bankruptcy be Filed |
|
Can I pick and choose the creditors to include
in the bankruptcy? |
|
Can I keep my car if I file bankruptcy |
|
Bankruptcy affect on Mortgage lien |
|
Foreclosure and Filing Bankruptcy |
|
How does a bankruptcy affect a credit report |
BANKRUPTCY
Filing for bankruptcy usually occurs when an individual’s
debt begins to exceed their income or their ability
to pay back their debt has been severely altered.
Most bankruptcy laws require that creditors stop all
collection efforts against the debtor while the debtor
is working out a plan and awaiting a discharge of
debt. Filing of a bankruptcy becomes a public record
and will be displayed each time a credit report is
accessed by a potential creditor, insurance company
or mortgage lender. The criteria for each of these
industries is different when it comes to whether they
will sell you a car, give you an insurance policy
or sell your home and the filing of a bankruptcy
may have a substantial impact.
What
is a Personal Bankruptcy?
An individual(s) files a petition with the bankruptcy
court to obtain protection from collection efforts
of their personal debt from their creditors. Bankruptcy
involves a Federal court proceeding in which the individual’s
obligations are balanced against his or her creditor’s
rights. The individual wants to eliminate the debt
completely or “wipe the slate clean”.
The creditor wants to collect as much of the debt
as possible. The bankruptcy proceeding is the forum
in which the debtor and the creditor resolve their
differences.
Before you file for Personal Bankruptcy...
The Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act of 2005 produced stronger guidelines for a consumer who intends to file for bankruptcy protection. With limited exceptions, a consumer must go through a pre-bankruptcy credit counseling program and a pre-discharge education program. The consumer can only use a counseling organization that has been approved by the Department of Justice’s U. S. Trustee Program and appears on their approved list. You can check their list by going to www.usdoj.gov/ust/eo/bapcpa/ccde/cc_approved.htm or at the bankruptcy clerk’s office in the district where you file.
Within six months prior to filing for bankruptcy a consumer must go through a pre-bankruptcy credit counseling program and obtain a certificate of proof to be submitted with the filing. Once bankruptcy has been filed the consumer must go through a pre-discharge debtor education program and obtain a certificate of proof before the debts included in the bankruptcy can be discharged.
Pre-bankruptcy counseling will include an explanation of the counseling fee, evaluation of your personal financial situation, alternatives to bankruptcy and a personal budget plan. A counseling session can take place in person, by telephone or online and lasts approximately one hour. The counseling fee is generally around $50. If you cannot afford this fee, you should notify the counselor prior to the beginning of the session and request the counseling fee be waived. A counseling organization is required to waive the fee if you cannot pay for the service.
The pre-discharge debtor education course will include an explanation of the counseling fee, information on developing a budget, managing money and using credit wisely. A session can take place in person, by telephone or online and last approximately one-two hours. The typical fee is $50 - $100. If you cannot afford this fee, you should notify the counselor prior to the beginning of the session and request the counseling fee be waived. A counseling organization is required to waive the fee if you cannot pay for the service.
For more information visit: www.usdoj.gov/ust.
What
is an Involuntary Bankruptcy?
Creditors, rather than the individual debtor, file
the petition in bankruptcy.
Chapter
13 – Wage Earner Debt Adjustment
This type bankruptcy is designed for individuals who
have a regular income. They are allowed to keep their
property and repay creditors under a repayment plan
over an extended period of time. The individual pays
the Chapter 13 trustee, who distributes the funds
for a small fee. The debt is discharged (relieved
of further payment) after the individual completes
the repayment plan as agreed. The repayment plan is
generally 3-5 years.
Chapter
7 – Liquidation
This type bankruptcy is commonly referred to as “straight
or liquidation” bankruptcy and used to “wipe
the slate clean.” A trustee is appointed to
collect and sell all property that is not exempt and
to use any proceeds to pay creditors. The individual
receives a discharge, which means that he or she is
relieved of the obligation to pay certain types of
debt as outlined in the bankruptcy petition. The discharge
date is generally a few months after the filing of
the petition.
What
is a Discharge in Bankruptcy?
In bankruptcy, a discharge is an order issued by the
court that permanently prohibits creditors from taking
action to collect certain debt.
Dischargeable
Debt
Dischargeable debts are those that the debtor is no
longer personally liable to pay after the bankruptcy
proceedings are concluded.
Non-Dischargeable
Debt
These types of debt are those that cannot be canceled
because of the bankruptcy proceedings. The debtor
is still responsible for paying. There are eighteen
categories of debts that cannot be discharged in bankruptcy.
Some examples:
indent
most tax debt
indent
secured debts
indent
alimony and child support obligations
indent
student loans (there are some exceptions)
indent
debts arising from fraud or false representations
indent
debts for willful and malicious injury
indent
debts to embezzlement, larceny, or the misleading
of funds the
xxxxxxidebtor held as
a trustee or fiduciary.
indent
debts for last-minute purchases of luxury goods or
services - or
xxxxxiiiitaking out cash
advances on a credit card
Reaffirmation
Agreement
A reaffirmation agreement is an agreement by which
a debtor becomes legally obligated to pay all or a
portion of an otherwise dischargeable debt. Since
reaffirmed debts are not discharged, the Bankruptcy
Court will normally permit you to reaffirm only secured
debts where the collateral is important to your daily
activities.
Dismissed
case
A dismissal order ends the case before a discharge
order is entered. When the Court dismisses the case,
the “automatic stay” ends and creditors
may start to collect debts again. An order of dismissal
does not free the debtor from any debt.
Automatic
stay
A temporary restraining order that automatically goes
into effect the moment a debtor files a bankruptcy
case and continues until the bankruptcy case concludes.
The purpose of the automatic stay is to give the debtor
a breathing spell from his/her creditors in which
he/she may attempt a repayment or reorganization plan.
The automatic stay also protects creditors by averting
a scramble for assets and promoting instead an orderly
liquidation procedure.
Bankruptcy
affect on a Joint Account Holder or Co-Signer
If you are a joint account holder or co-signer and
the account was included in a bankruptcy of the other
party, the creditor has the option to pursue payment
from the remaining party.
Bankruptcy
affect on a divorce.
Most spouses have debts to divide when the marriage
ends in divorce. The divorce decree will usually allocate
the payment responsibility for their debt between
the spouses. A divorce decree is merely a contract
between the spouses which is enforceable by the family
court. The division of debt made in a divorce decree
is NOT binding on creditors. If one spouse fails to
pay a debt as ordered in a divorce decree and the
other spouse was liable on the debt prior to divorce,
the creditor is legally entitled to collect from the
other spouse.
How
often can a bankruptcy be filed?
You can file for Chapter 7 every six years. A Chapter
13 repayment plan can be filed at any time.
Can
I pick and choose the creditors to include in the
bankruptcy?
You cannot discriminate among your creditors. They
must all be included.
Can
I keep my car if I file bankruptcy?
Yes. You have to file a reaffirmation agreement with
the creditor. The Court has to agree that the debt
will not impose an undue burden on you or your dependents
and whether it is in your best interest.
Bankruptcy
affect on Mortgage lien.
A bankruptcy discharge does not automatically extinguish
a lien on property. A lien is a claim by your creditor
against the property. The property guarantees payment
in the event that you fail to make the required payments.
A mortgage lien gives the creditor the right to take
the property by foreclosing; to force the sale of
your property in order to get paid off.
Foreclosure
and Filing Bankruptcy
Filing a Chapter 7 bankruptcy only temporarily stops
a lender’s right to foreclose until it gets
permission to go forward with the foreclosure proceedings.
The automatic stay does not stop foreclosure. When
considering bankruptcy, some states fully exempt personal
residences and you won’t lose your home.
Filing
a Chapter 13 bankruptcy stops foreclosure indefinitely
so long as you continue to make the monthly payments
as agreed on the current mortgage. Chapter 13 allows
you to “buy time” to make payments or
make up missed payments through the repayment plan.
Bankruptcy
and your credit report
Both The Chapter 13 and Chapter 7 bankruptcies become
public record information and will appear on your
credit report for the seven or ten years allowed by
the Fair Credit Reporting Act.
Each
financial related industry has its own criteria on
how they judge the reporting of a bankruptcy and their
criteria will determine “if” and “when”
they will consider extending an individual credit
or insurance.
After
creditors have been notified that a consumer has filed
for bankruptcy, some creditors will report their tradeline
information as included in a bankruptcy. It is up
to consumer to provide the three national credit bureaus
with their bankruptcy papers to insure that all debt
included in the bankruptcy is identified on their
credit report.
Chapter
13 Wage Earner Debt Adjustment, remains on the credit
report for 7 years from date filed, if completed/discharged.
Chapter 7 remains on the credit report for 10 years
from date filed.
<Back to Top>
What
are Public Records?
The public record gathered by the credit bureaus will
contain financial data only such as Judgments, tax
liens and bankruptcy filings. It does not contain
any criminal activities or arrests.
<Back to Top>
What
are Inquiries?
An
inquiry is a list of every creditor or company that
has requested a credit report on you. The inquiry
will list the name of the company that inquired
and the date of the inquiry. It is important to
know that in addition to credit grantors who have
a permissible purpose for obtaining credit reports,
now insurance companies, banks and utilities may
obtain credit reports to help in their decisions
for opening new accounts. Every time your credit
report is viewed, an inquiry is posted.
If
you are looking at your consumer report, you will
see inquiries that you recognize and some that you
do not recognize. This can be due to companies that
send out promotional, pre-qualify offers; in this
instance, a human does not actually look at your
credit information, it is an automated review of
your credit information based on predetermined criteria
set by the company that will be sending the promotional
offer. The promotional inquiries appear only on
the consumer credit report and not on a credit report
that is requested by a credit grantor.
Inquiries
generally do not have an impact on your FICO credit
score. However, the FCRA FACT Act has required the
bureaus to add an additional score factor whenever
the inquiries do have an impact on the score. It
is also important to know that multiple inquiries
within the same 30 day period from the auto or mortgage
industry only count as one inquiry. In most cases,
the bureaus maintain the inquiries on your file
for 24 months.
What
is a Credit Score?
A
credit score is a three digit number that is derived
from a mathematical calculation (numeric summary)
of all the credit information you have in your credit
file. Calculation of the credit score only considers
credit-related information. Lenders and creditors
refer to the credit score as a FICO score. Scores
range from 350 to 850. It does not consider age, gender,
employment, income, race or religion.
Each
of the three credit bureaus, Equifax, TransUnion and
Experian have a FICO score. The Equifax Beacon, the
TransUnion Empirica and the Experian FairIssac Model.
It is important to know that there are multiple versions
of the FICO score models used by each of the three
bureaus. FICO has developed score models for the auto
industry, insurance, mortgage, consumer credit score
and others. Therefore, it is possible that your consumer
score will not match the score that your creditor
is using based on what score model they use.
For
a long time credit grantors have been using a “credit
score” to evaluate credit applications. More
recently other industries such as insurance companies,
landlords and even employers have begun relying on
a credit score. These credit scores have remained
a complete mystery until now. They are still somewhat
of a mystery but now there is a lot more information
available to the consumer explaining how a credit
score is compiled and how it affects your ability
to obtain credit. You can go to myfico.com for a complete
explanation of FICO scoring.
<Back to Top>
How
is my credit score created?
Understanding
what information goes into the calculation of the
credit score will help you to understand what you
need to do to improve your score. The score is a mathematical
calculation based on all the information within these
five categories and the percentage represents the
importance of the information in that each category.
There are also many items within each category that
is considered when calculating the score. No one piece
of information will determine your score.
Payment
History 35%
Amounts owed 30%
Length of credit history 15%
New credit 10%
Types of credit used 10
Payment
History reviews
Account payments on credit cards, retail accounts,
finance companies, mortgage, etc.
Public records, bankruptcy, judgments, suits, liens,
wage earner plan
Severity of late payments, how long past due and
how many times past due
Amount past due
How recent the late payments or collection items
Number of past due accounts on file
Number of accounts paid as agreed
Amounts
owed includes
Amount owing on accounts
Amount owing on specific types of accounts
Lack of specific types of accounts with or without
balance
Number of accounts with balances
Proportion of balances to total credit limits on
certain types of accounts
Proportion of balances to original loan on installment
loans
Length of credit history
How long have the accounts been opened
How long have accounts been opened, on specific
types of accounts
How long since account was active
New credit
Number of recently opened accounts, and proportion
of new accounts to existing accounts
Number of recent inquiries
Recently opened account by type of account
How long since credit inquiry(s)
Re-establishment of positive credit history following
past payment problems
Types of credit used
Presence of recent information on various types
of accounts, loans, mortgage, finance companies
<Back to Top>
What
can I do to improve my credit score?
There
is no quick fix for improving your credit scores.
|
Develop
good paying habits. Late payments and collections
have a major impact on your credit score.
|
|
If
you have missed payments, bring them current.
A current late payment can cause your score
to drop 100 points. The longer you pay your
bills on time the better your score will be. |
|
Derogatory
information stays on your credit file for seven
years from date of last activity. The older
the information, the less importance it will
have on your score. |
|
Keep
balances low on credit cards. High balances
in proportion to the credit limits can affect
your score. |
|
Don’t
close all unused credit cards. The score will
look at available credit to credit used. If
you close all unused credit cards, the less
available credit you have and then the proportion
of credit used to available credit will be high
and can affect your score |
|
Don’t
open up several new cards at once. This could
lower your score. If you want more available
credit, spread out applying for new credit over
a period of time |
|
|
<Back
to Top>
How
to request a copy of your credit report.
You can request a copy of your consumer
report directly from the three bureaus, Equifax, TransUnion
and Experian each year free of charge go to annualcreditreport.com.
If you want to review your credit file more than once
a year, each bureau will charge you approximately
$9.50, which is a charge approved by the FCRA, FACT
Act.
If you want to send a mail request, send your requests
to:
Annual Credit Report Request Service
P O Box 105281
Atlanta, GA 30348-5281
If you want to request your annual credit report
by phone, call:
1-877-322-8228
For hearing impaired consumer access to TDD services:
1-877-730-4104
Identity
Theft
Identity theft occurs when someone
uses your name, Social Security number, date of birth,
or other identifying information, without authority,
to commit fraud. For example, someone may have committed
identity theft by using your personal information
to open a credit card account or get a loan in your
name. For more information, visit www.consumer.gov/idtheft
or write to: FTC, Consumer Response Center, Room 130-B,
600 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W. Washington, D.C., 20580.
Your
Right under the Fair Credit Reporting Act
The federal Fair Credit Reporting
Act (FCRA) promotes the accuracy, fairness, and privacy
of information in the files of consumer reporting
agencies. There are many types of consumer reporting
agencies, including credit bureaus and specialty agencies
(such as agencies that sell information about check
writing histories, medical records, and rental history
records). For more information, including information
about additional rights, go to www.ftc.gov/credit
or write to: Consumer Response Center, Room 130-A,
Federal Trade Commission, 600 Pennsylvania Ave. N.W.,
Washington, D.C. 20580.
|
