Accessing your Credit Report

Your credit report shows your credit history– your open and closed accounts, account balances, collections, and other payment history. Lenders and creditors will report your monthly payment activity to the three credit bureaus. Your FICO score is a reflection of your credit report.

It’s important to look at your credit report a few times per year to see how it has changed. You don’t want to wait until you are applying for a loan to find out how your credit appears to a lender.  All three credit bureaus (Equifax, Experian, and Transunion) can provide you a free credit report once a year without it affecting your FICO score. If you have a Social Security number, you can get your report using one of these options: 

• AnnualCreditReport.com
• Mail in a paper request form
• Call the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) 1-877-322-8228

If you don’t have a Social Security number, you may need to mail in the paper request form (see above link to access the form) using your ITIN.

Once you have your report, be sure to check that your personal information is accurate. If you find errors, call one of the credit rating agencies (Equifax, Experian, and Transunion) to dispute specific information on the report. The report will give you detailed information about your credit history so you can see it all in one place.