Hello again and Happy New Year to all of my subscribers.
If cleaning up your credit reports and increasing your credit scores is a goal for you in 2010, then this may be the most important message you will have seen this month!
Since January seems like a good time to get started on New Years Resolutions and you want to repair credit report, then follow along as I guide you through the process of getting your credit reports (notice I didn’t say credit scores, more on that later)
To take full advantage of all the content available to you now, and increase your score as fast as possible, you’re going to need to get the bureaus “standardized” reports. You can only get them through the mail.
UPDATE: Alright, I’ve changed my tune a little on this one. If you are in a BIG hurry, you can get them online at www.freeannualcreditreport.com. Print the reports and save the link information. This usually takes about 30-45 minutes. Transunion gives you their “standardized” report online. Equifax and Experian give you reports that are very similar and easy to work with.
Annual Credit Report Service: 1-877-322-8228
OR www.freeannualcreditreport.com
If you don’t qualify for a free report, then call:
Experian 1-888-397-3742 (Depending on calling area)
Equifax 1-800-685-1111 (Depending on state of residence)
Transunion 1-866-726-7388 ($7.95 for report & score)
** Have a credit or debit card and about $28 available.
OR
If you have an old copy of your credit report, you can dispute an address, or wrong name, and mail it to each bureau. Request a free updated report in your dispute, and mail it first class.
Always remember to include in your dispute your:
Full name
Current address
SSN
Date of birth
Previous address
… As well as a copy of a government issued photo ID and your SSN card (or a copy of some type of utility bill in your name that matches your address.)
OR
If you’ve been denied credit, insurance, or other benefits within the last 60 days, mail a letter to each bureau requesting a free report with a copy of the denial notice.
OR
Some prefer to use one of the bureaus online 3-in-one services so they can monitor their reports. Do what works for you! In any case, get as many reports as possible so you can compare them and find different angles of factual dispute.
OR
Instantly get a free Experian report online by initiating a 90 day fraud alert. This alert will transmit to Equifax and Transunion, so you might not want to do this if you are seeking any credit within that period of time. If you do apply for credit within 12 months, make sure the fraud alert is removed PRIOR to applying. You can get your free instant report here:
https://www.experian.com/consumer/cac/InvalidateSession.do?code=SECURITYALERT
Remember, this is a tactic I recommend to get the most information on a credit report for your dispute process.
When you want to get your FICO scores, I always recommend going to www.myfico.com/12.
Until next time,
Mark
