The Best Ways to Score Your Credit Report

Whether you’ve just concluded the bankruptcy process, been denied credit, are checking up on an identity theft incident, considering buying a home, or any other financial endeavor, it pays to check out your credit report. Why? Because when you’re trying to rebuild your credit health or prove you’re a good credit risk, it’s important to see what others see, namely your credit score.

You may already understand that you’re entitled to know what information is included in your credit reports. You may also know that you’re entitled to a free credit report each year. What you may not know is the right way to get it.

Although report suppliers like annualfreereport.com are supposed to make your credit report available free of charge (as the name implies), there’s often a catch: you’re taken to each credit bureau’s website (Experian, Equifax and TransUnion) where it’s next to impossible to download your report without paying something. Whether via endless upgrade offers, circuitous navigation, or registration roadblocks, each website offers its own user challenges to coming away with your credit report “for free.”

Instead of throwing away money by means of online credit report ordering, it’s recommended you get your reports directly from the source—The Central Source, that is. While The Central Source is available at annualfreereport.com, bypass it’s Internet form and instead, use The Central Source as a centralized report repository created by the same three credit bureaus themselves, but readily accessible by telephone or snail mail.  By utilizing a little patience instead of the Internet’s “instant gratification,” you can make those reports truly free, and save the hassle of the online runaround.

Ordering Your Free Report By Phone
To get your Experian, Equifax and TransUnion reports free by phone, call 1-877-322-8228. During this 10-minute or less automated phone call you’ll be prompted to say your name, address, Social Security number and date of birth. You’ll also be asked your previous address if you have moved with the past couple of years. Once your personal information is collected, you’ll be queried on which of the three reports you’d like to order. Reports are listed in order “1,” “2,” and “3.” If you want all three reports, enter “1,” each time you’re prompted to select them.

Ordering Your Free Report via Mail
In order to get your report by mail you’ll need to download and print a copy of the official request form from the annualfreereport.com. Once downloaded, mail your completed form to: Annual Credit Report Request Service, P.O. Box 105281, Atlanta, Georgia, 30348-5281.

It is recommended that you send your report form via certified mail and request a return receipt. That way you can track when (and if) they received your report request.

Keep in mind there’s a fourth, lesser-known credit bureau call Innovis, which may (or may not) carry your credit information. The upside is  that their credit reports can be more accurate than those of other bureaus. To order, send a letter to Innovis Customer Assistance, PO Box 1358, Columbus, OH, 43216-1358. In your request for a free annual credit report, include your full name, present address, Social Security number, date of birth, current employer, phone number and a copy of a bill or driver’s license verifying your address.

If you’re seeking your credit report because you’re facing insurmountable debt and have been consistently rejected from loan offers or have fallen victim to identity theft, it might be a good idea to consider getting a fresh start through bankruptcy. Contact the Law Offices of John T. Orcutt in North Carolina TODAY for a totally FREE debt consultation. Just call toll free to +1-833-627-0115, or make your appointment online at www.billsbills.com. Simply click on the yellow “FREE Consultation Now” button. Now offering Saturday appointments!!!