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Your Credit Report
Your credit report provides information to current and prospective creditors to help you make purchases, secure loans, pay for college educations and manage your personal finances. Credit reporting makes it possible for stores to accept your checks, banks to offer credit and debit cards, businesses to market products, and corporations to better manage their operations to benefit the world's economy.
Your credit report is only compiled when you or a lender makes an inquiry. Information supplied by lenders, you and court records is gathered from the credit reporting agency's file and presented in report format for the requester.
Credit grantors send updates to each of the credit reporting agencies, usually once a month. These updates include information about how their customers use and pay their accounts.
Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, you may be entitled to receive a free copy of your personal credit report if you have been declined credit, housing or employment in the last 60 days. To request your free copy, contact one of the credit reporting agencies directly.
Credit Reporting Agencies
Credit Reporting Agencies collect information about you and your credit history from public records, your creditors and other reliable sources. These agencies make your credit history available to your current and prospective creditors and employers as allowed by law. Credit agencies do not grant or deny credit.
The credit reporting agencies are:
Establish a Credit History
In order to establish good credit, you need a good credit history. If you have no credit history at all, it is easy to start creating one.
Opening a bank account is the simplest and safest way to manage your finances. By opening a savings account or a checking account, you can build good credit by saving money and earning interest, easily paying bills and tracking expenses. Responsible use of a checking account or an Automatic Teller Machine (ATM) card will reflect favorably in your credit report.
If you have services in your name (telephone, gas, and electric), make sure you pay them in full and on time. Pay any loans and credit accounts on time each month. At least pay the minimum, if there is one.
Applying for a credit card and using it responsibly can help you build a good credit history. If you have been denied a credit card in the past, you may want to investigate a secured credit card, where you put a pre-determined amount of money in an account as a deposit in the bank. The secured card can be used in the same way as a credit card with the same convenience and payment flexibility. Gasoline companies and retail stores also offer their own credit cards.
Preventing Identity Theft
Many of us know the fear and frustration of having our wallet or credit cards stolen, but even worse is having your identity stolen. According to one non-profit debt counseling agency, some 40,000 consumers each year are victims of this crime, which is a serious type of fraud.
With identity theft, someone will use personal information about you; such as your name, address, social security number or driver's license to apply for credit, utilities, bank accounts, mortgages, even jobs in your name. Some people don't find out that their identity has been stolen until months after it has happened.
Here are some tips to help you avoid becoming a victim of identify theft:
- Check your credit report at least once a year. Investigate if you find accounts that are not yours.
- Rip-up, or better yet, shred, any credit card applications, bank or billing statements, and any other sensitive documents.
- If you don't get a bill for one of your credit cards in any given month, call the issuer immediately.
- Use a locked mailbox for incoming and outgoing mail.
- Avoid giving out your social security number unless it's necessary.
- Save your ATM and credit card receipts, check them against your statements and then shred them.
If you are a victim of identity theft, act quickly:
- If your wallet or purse with your identification is stolen, notify the credit reporting agencies. They can issue a fraud alert for your file, which can help prevent additional credit accounts from being opened without your permission.
- Initiate a police report. Be persistent, even if the police don't seem interested in your situation.
- Keep careful written records of everyone you speak with, and use registered mail when sending important correspondence.
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