3 Major Credit Bureaus - Which One Should I Contact?
There are 3 major credit bureaus that have information on your
regarding your credit history. Anyone that has ever applied for
a loan or credit of any kind has a file at one of the 3 major
credit bureaus. Since merchants usually report to only one of
the 3 major credit bureaus, you may have to request a free
report from all three to get an overall look at your credit
report.
To request a free credit report from either or all of the three
major credit bureaus, all you have to do is to request a free
report online. You can also send the request by mail and you
have to provide all your personal information. There are sites
that will charge you for a credit report from one of the 3 major
credit bureaus, but it is necessary for you to know that by law
you are entitled to one free credit report a year. You should
contact the credit bureau directly to get your free report.
When you do receive your credit report from the 3 major credit
bureaus there are certain sections of this report that you need
to pay particular attention to. The first section details your
name and address. You should check this to make sure that it is
correct. If there are any inaccuracies in this section, you need
to contact the credit bureau that sent the report with the
correct information.
The next section will give details of your current bills. Each
of the three major credit bureaus may contain the same
information or one of the three may have different information
regarding your credit history depending on which merchants
report to that credit bureau. You should also note that you
might have an excellent credit record with two of the 3 major
credit bureaus and a poor rating with the other.
Check the listing of your bills, the amount of the payment and
the due date. If you have been late with a payment or missed one
altogether, this will show up on the credit report you receive
from the 3 major credit bureaus. You also need to check to see
who has been inquiring about your credit history to make sure
that no unauthorized person or company has been making inquiries
without your permission. When you see that everything is as it
should be, then you know that your information is safe with the
3 major credit bureaus. If there are any inaccuracies in the
debt information, you will need to contact the credit bureau to
start taking the necessary steps to have it corrected.
There are 3 credit bureaus and you need to know about them if
you are concerned about your credit report.