| Credit reporting agencies maintain electronic records of | | | | from a credit reporting agency. This includes receiving |
| your credit activities. Today, there are three major | | | | a list of everyone that has requested your report. |
| national credit bureaus: Equifax, Experian and Trans | | | | If you have been denied credit based on information in |
| Union. If you are planning on applying for a loan or | | | | your credit report [ (the creditor must provide a reason |
| credit anytime in the near future, it's a good idea to | | | | for denial), you have 60 days from the day you |
| obtain a copy of your credit report. | | | | receive a denial notice to receive a free copy of the |
| For a fee, you can request a copy of your credit | | | | credit report. Additionally, the law also entitles you to |
| report at anytime by contacting one or more of the | | | | receive a free credit report every 12 months if you |
| major credit agencies. Or you can receive a free copy | | | | are unemployed and seeking work within the next 60 |
| of your credit report through one of the many credit | | | | days, are on welfare or if your report is inaccurate as |
| companies available on the Internet. Our favorite | | | | a result of credit fraud. |
| source of information on credit reporting agencies on | | | | Note: This article may be freely reproduced as long as |
| the Web is [ | | | | the authors bio paragraph at the bottom of this article |
| The Fair Credit Reporting Act was amended a few | | | | is included, the article is published “as is” |
| years ago to beef up consumer privacy. Under its | | | | (unedited) and all URL’s are made active |
| rules, you are legally entitled to obtain your credit report | | | | hyperlinks with no syntax changes. |