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Check Your Credit Report
Protecting our personal credit and identity is on everyone's minds these days. Knowing what's on your credit report can combat identity theft and provide a means to correct errors before they cause problems.
Consumer credit information is obtained and stored in the United States by three major credit bureaus, Equifax, Experian, formerly known as TRW, and Trans Union Corporation.
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Credit reports provide a record of your credit history. They include information such as your current and recent home addresses, employer information, whether you pay your bills on time, how much debt you have, who that debt is with, and the timeliness of your payments, as well as available credit and current balances. Your credit report is used to help determine your credit worthiness when you apply for a car loan, a mortgage or another credit card. Your report is compiled by credit reporting agencies and released to potential creditors and lenders, by request.
If the last time you examined your credit report is more than a year ago, you'd better get a report from each credit bureau -- Equifax, TransUnion and Experian. To save time, look for services that provide all three reports instantly online.
