Know Your Numbers

Your credit report and score can be used in more ways than you might think.  It is used not only to  apply for credit with a lending institution or credit card company but your credit history is  also used by Insurance companies to determine your eligibility and premium.  Most Landlords will check your credit history before accepting you as a tenant.  Although controversial, some employers will check your credit before offering you a job. Even if none of those things apply to you it is important to look at your credit report as this may be the first evidence you have that someone is using your identity.  It is simple and free to obtain your credit report.  The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) requires each of the nationwide credit reporting companies — Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion — to provide you with a free copy of your credit report, at your request, once every 12 months.

 Only one website is authorized to fill orders for the free annual credit report you are entitled to under law — www.annualcreditreport.com. Other websites that claim to offer “free credit reports,” “free credit scores,” or “free credit monitoring” are not part of the legally mandated free annual credit report.

To order, visit annualcreditreport.com, call 1-877-322-8228, or complete the Annual Credit Report Request Form and mail it to: Annual Credit Report Request Service, P.O. Box 105281, Atlanta, GA 30348-5281. You can print the form  from ftc.gov/credit. Do not contact the three nationwide consumer reporting companies individually. They are providing free annual credit reports only through annualcreditreport.com, 1-877-322-8228, and Annual Credit Report Request Service, P.O. Box 105281, Atlanta, GA 30348-5281.

Knowing Your Numbers is one of the ways you can show financial respect and protect yourself.  Mark your calendar and make this an annual event because you need to Know Your Numbers.