Credit Reports can be a Teaching Tool
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If you have recently been denied credit or plan to apply for credit soon, it would be wise to obtain your credit report. You know that it is a document that is the foundation of a decision on whether you will receive credit. You need to know that there are actually three major credit reporting agencies. These are: TransUnion, Equifax, and Experian. It is possible to receive a free copy of the report from each agency once a year. See freeannualcreditreport.com for information on how to obtain the three copies. You need all three because differences may be apparent. There will be several sections in each of the reports. The first section will include basic information such as name, social security number and other identifying factors. No information about race, salary, or assets will be in the reports. Any of your credit lines will be included. Such items will include loans, mortgages, credit cards, department store and gas cards. This section will show when the account was opened, credit limits, monthly payments, payment history ( late payments also), unpaid child support and overdrawn bank accounts. In addition, there will be a section for bankruptcies, liens, judgments, divorce which are records submitted by the court system. Any time that you fill out a credit application ( credit card, loan ) there will be a credit inquiry to one of the bureaus. If you inquire for yourself, it will be on the report. These inquiries will remain for 2 years. If the information on your credit report is positive, this is to your benefit. If the report has negatives, this information will remain for 7 years. A bankruptcy remains for 10 years. It is our personal responsibility to monitor our own credit profile, have errors changed and work to repair our credit. Definitely request your credit reports from all 3 agencies, find discrepancies and mistakes and get them fixed. About the Author:
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