Onlien Credit Checks 

 Free Credit Reports 

You can now receive a free credit report - quick and easy. Here's how:

Free Credit Report - A FREE copy of your Experian credit report when you sign up for credit monitoring. You have 30 days to cancel before being charged the membership fee. If you do not cancel in the first 30 days you will be billed $12 each month that you continue your membership... Click Here

INSTANTLY See Your Credit Information From ALL 3 Credit Bureaus! Did you know there are 3 separate credit bureaus - Equifax, Experian, & Trans Union - collecting and reporting your credit information? Your lender can go to any or ALL of these bureaus to check your credit history. Now you can see your complete credit information from ALL 3 bureaus in ONE easy-to-read report, and it's available IN SECONDS! Get your 3 Bureau Online Credit Report for only $39.95. Order 3 Bureau Credit Report with all 3 scores

 The 3 Credit Reporting Companies 

• Experian - get a report for free
• Equifax - buy a report for $10
• Trans Union - get reports via their service at TrueCredit.com

 Credit Reports 

Five Reasons to Check Your Credit Report Regularly

In a similar way to how a resume displays your work experience to a potential employer, a credit report provides prospective lenders (and in some cases employers and insurers as well) with a detailed image of your personal credit history. And just like a resume, your credit report will have influence over whether you will get that loan you are applying for.

Here are the top five reasons why you should regularly review your credit report:

1. Inaccurate Credit Files

Many inaccuracies can appear on a credit report due to human error, and thay can be difficult to dispute. Of course, if you don't get youirself a free credit report, you might never, ever learn about it. Regardless of if the inaccuracies are related to payments that weren't credited, or late payments, or data mixed up from someone with a name like yours - you will want to contact the credit bureau straight away.

2. Tracking Payments

What if that payment you sent was never received? Checking your credit report will highlight these situations

3. Personal Identity Theft

This issue alone is sound reason for looking at your credit report today. The best way to catch an identity fraudster using your name is by getting a current copy of your credit report, which will point out any accounts that you know you haven't opened. For example, if a thief has stolen a pre-approved credit card offer in your name from your mailbox and sent it in with a change of address, your credit report will detail the account.

4. Inquiries

Too many credit inquiries can actually make getting credit more difficult. Moreover, if you didn't authorize someone to look at your credit report and they did, they may have broken the law. Check it out!

5. Credit Fraud--Unauthorized Charges

Viewing your credit report will help you catch recent activity on accounts that you haven't used lately, or have even closed.

 Official FAQs 

The federal Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) is designed to promote accuracy, fairness, and privacy of information in the files of every "consumer reporting agency" (CRA). Most CRAs are credit bureaus that gather and sell information about you -- such as if you pay your bills on time or have filed bankruptcy -- to creditors, employers, landlords, and other businesses. You can find the complete text of the FCRA, 15 U.S.C. §§1681-1681u, at the FTC's web site (http://www.ftc.gov). The FCRA gives you specific rights, as outlined below. You may have additional rights under state law. You may contact a state or local consumer protection agency or a state attorney general to learn those rights.

·       You must be told if information in your file has been used against you. Anyone who uses information from a CRA to take action against you -- such as denying an application for credit, insurance, or employment -- must tell you, and give you the name, address, and phone number of the CRA that provided the consumer report.

·       You can find out what is in your file. At your request, a CRA must give you the information in your file, and a list of everyone who has requested it recently. There is no charge for the report if a person has taken action against you because of information supplied by the CRA, if you request the report within 60 days of receiving notice of the action. You also are entitled to one free report every twelve months upon request if you certify that (1) you are unemployed and plan to seek employment within 60 days, (2) you are on welfare, or (3) your report is inaccurate due to fraud. Otherwise, a CRA may charge you up to eight dollars.

·       You can dispute inaccurate information with the CRA. If you tell a CRA that your file contains inaccurate information, the CRA must investigate the items (usually within 30 days) by presenting to its information source all relevant evidence you submit, unless your dispute is frivolous. The source must review your evidence and report its findings to the CRA. (The source also must advise national CRAs -- to which it has provided the data -- of any error.) The CRA must give you a written report of the investigation, and a copy of your report if the investigation results in any change. If the CRA's investigation does not resolve the dispute, you may add a brief statement to your file. The CRA must normally include a summary of your statement in future reports. If an item is deleted or a dispute statement is filed, you may ask that anyone who has recently received your report be notified of the change.

·       Inaccurate information must be corrected or deleted. A CRA must remove or correct inaccurate or unverified information from its files, usually within 30 days after you dispute it. However, the CRA is not required to remove accurate data from your file unless it is outdated (as described below) or cannot be verified. If your dispute results in any change to your report, the CRA cannot reinsert into your file a disputed item unless the information source verifies its accuracy and completeness. In addition, the CRA must give you a written notice telling you it has reinserted the item. The notice must include the name, address and phone number of the information source.

·       You can dispute inaccurate items with the source of the information. If you tell anyone -- such as a creditor who reports to a CRA -- that you dispute an item, they may not then report the information to a CRA without including a notice of your dispute. In addition, once you've notified the source of the error in writing, it may not continue to report the information if it is, in fact, an error.

·       Outdated information may not be reported. In most cases, a CRA may not report derogatory information that is more than seven years old; ten years for bankruptcies.

·       Access to your file is limited. A CRA may provide information about you only to people with a need recognized by the FCRA -- usually to consider an application with a creditor, insurer, employer, landlord, or other business.

·       Your consent is required for reports that are provided to employers, or reports that contain medical information. A CRA may not give out information about you to your employer, or prospective employer, without your written consent. A CRA may not report medical information about you to creditors, insurers, or employers without your permission.

·       You may choose to exclude your name from CRA lists for unsolicited credit and insurance offers. Creditors and insurers may use file information as the basis for sending you unsolicited offers of credit or insurance. Such offers must include a toll-free phone number for you to call if you want your name and address removed from future lists. If you call, you must be kept off the lists for two years. If you request, complete, and return the CRA form provided for this purpose, you must be taken off the lists indefinitely.

·       You may seek damages from violators. If a CRA, a user or (in some cases) a provider of CRA data, violates the FCRA, you may sue them in state or federal court.

The FCRA gives several different federal agencies authority to enforce the FCRA:

 Divorced or considering divorce? 

If you've recently been through a divorce-or are contemplating one-you may want to look closely at issues involving credit. Understanding the different kinds of credit accounts opened during a marriage may help illuminate the potential benefits-and pitfalls-of each.

There are two types of credit accounts: individual and joint. You can permit authorized persons to use the account with either. When you apply for credit-whether a charge card or a mortgage loan-you'll be asked to select one type.

Individual or Joint Account

Individual Account: Your income, assets, and credit history are considered by the creditor. Whether you are married or single, you alone are responsible for paying off the debt. The account will appear on your credit report, and may appear on the credit report of any "authorized" user. However, if you live in a community property state (Arizona, California, Idaho, Louisiana, Nevada, New Mexico, Texas, Washington, or Wisconsin, etc.), you and your spouse may be responsible for debts incurred during the marriage, and the individual debts of one spouse may appear on the credit report of the other.

Advantages/Disadvantages: If you're not employed outside the home, work part-time, or have a low-paying job, it may be difficult to demonstrate a strong financial picture without your spouse's income. But if you open an account in your name and are responsible, no one can negatively affect your credit record.

Joint Account: Your income, financial assets, and credit history-and your spouse's-are considerations for a joint account. No matter who handles the household bills, you and your spouse are responsible for seeing that debts are paid. A creditor who reports the credit history of a joint account to credit bureaus must report it in both names (if the account was opened after June 1, 1977).

Advantages/Disadvantages: An application combining the financial resources of two people may present a stronger case to a creditor who is granting a loan or credit card. But because two people applied together for the credit, each is responsible for the debt. This is true even if a divorce decree assigns separate debt obligations to each spouse. Former spouses who run up bills and don't pay them can hurt their ex-partner's credit histories on jointly-held accounts.

Account "Users"

If you open an individual account, you may authorize another person to use it. If you name your spouse as the authorized user, a creditor who reports the credit history to a credit bureau must report it in your spouse's name as well as in your's (if the account was opened after June 1, 1977). A creditor also may report the credit history in the name of any other authorized user.

Advantages/Disadvantages: User accounts often are opened for convenience. They benefit people who might not qualify for credit on their own, such as students or homemakers. While these people may use the account, you-not they-are contractually liable for paying the debt.

If You Divorce

If you're considering divorce or separation, pay special attention to the status of your credit accounts. If you maintain joint accounts during this time, it's important to make regular payments so your credit record won't suffer. As long as there's an outstanding balance on a joint account, you and your spouse are responsible for it.

If you divorce, you may want to close joint accounts or accounts in which your former spouse was an authorized user. Or ask the creditor to convert these accounts to individual accounts.

By law, a creditor cannot close a joint account because of a change in marital status, but can do so at the request of either spouse. A creditor, however, does not have to change joint accounts to individual accounts. The creditor can require you to reapply for credit on an individual basis and then, based on your new application, extend or deny you credit. In the case of a mortgage or home equity loan, a lender is likely to require refinancing to remove a spouse from the obligation.

 More Resources 

Credit Screener - businesses can access all three reporting agencies from this company

Credit Reports for Australia come from Baycorp & Dun & Bradstreet, - read here for free Australian credit report info (or here )

Credit Reports for UK, New Zealand & Canada

Federal law entitles you to a free copy of your credit report in the following cases:

• If you are currently unemployed and are seeking employment within 60 days of requesting your credit report.
• If you are on welfare.
• If your credit file contains inaccurate data due to credit fraud.
• If you reside in Colorado, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey or Vermont you are entitled by state laws to one free credit report from a credit-reporting agency per year. Residents of the state of Georgia are entitled to two reports per year by state law.

Cheaper by snail mail

You can contact the three main credit bureaus and ask them to send you your credit report. The three credit bureaus are:

TransUnion (800) 851-2674
Experian (800) 392-1122
Equifax (800) 997-2493

The cost is $3 to $8. If you have been recently turned down for credit, you can get a copy of your credit report free from the credit bureaus.

If your Credit Report is wrong...

You can dispute inaccurate information with the CRA. If you tell a CRA that your file contains inaccurate information, the CRA must investigate the items (usually within 30 days) by presenting to its information source all relevant evidence you submit, unless your dispute is frivolous. The source (e.g., bank) must review your evidence and report its findings to the CRA. (The source also must advise national CRAs -- to which it has provided the data -- of any error.) The CRA must give you a written report of the investigation, and a copy of your report if the investigation results in any change. If the CRA's investigation does not resolve the dispute, you may add a 100-word statement to your file. The CRA must normally include a summary of your statement in future reports. If an item is deleted or a dispute statement is filed, you may ask that anyone who has recently received your report be notified of the change.

You can dispute inaccurate items with the source of the information. If you tell anyone – such as a creditor who reports to a CRA -- that you dispute an item, they may not then report the information to a CRA without including a notice of your dispute. In addition, once you've notified the source of the error in writing, it may not continue to report the information if it is, in fact, an error.

A new law that entitles consumers to order a free copy of their credit report is being phased in gradually across the country. So far, the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act (FACTA), has made free credit reports available to consumers in Western, Midwestern and Southern states (see map above). The new right to a free credit report will be extended to all U.S. consumers by September 1, 2005 Read more