It is important to review your credit report on a regular basis and make sure that the information in them is accurate. Under the Federal Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act (FACT), every person is eligible to receive a copy of their credit report from each of the three nationwide credit reporting agencies once every 12 months. Even if you are not eligible to receive a report for free, you can get one for a small cost.
You are also entitled to a free credit report if:
-You were denied or notified of adverse action related to credit, employment, insurance, government license or benefit or another transaction initiated by you and your credit report was the basis for the decision
-You were denied a house or apartment or were required to pay a higher deposit and your credit report was the basis for the decision
-You certify that you have reason to believe that yoru credit report has inaccurate information due to fraud/identity theft
The three major credit reporting agencies are:
-Experian (www.experian.com; 1-888-397-3742)
-Equifax (www.equifax.com; 1-800-685-1111)
-TransUnion (www.transunion.com; 1-800-888-4213)