How To Get Your Instant Credit Report And Other Credit Tips

Are you at the point in your life where you are going to making some serious financial decisions which will impact the rest of your life? One such decision could be the purchase of your very first home. But you just don’t know if your credit worthy or not.

There is a way you can find out fairly quickly. You simply can go on-line and request your instant credit report.

If you are the type of person who wants to get it done and over with as quickly as possible; you could go to a on-line site which gives you access to all 3 main credit information suppliers. The information you will be looking for comes from Experian, TransUnion and Equifax.

Once you get on one of these sites, it’s relatively easy for you to get the reports. You will only have to answer certain questions which will verify who you say you are. When you have completed the short questionnaire you will be given access to your credit report.

Most people think they have to go through someone else to get the reports from the big three reporting agencies. Frankly, that is a myth. You have just as much right as anyone else to request a credit report on yourself. In fact it’s the law.

You can go directly to the big three. Not only do they have there company report on you, they can also give you access to the other two agencies instant credit report on you. In addition to your credit report they provide additional information about things that can affect your credit standing and other services.

As you know identity theft has become a billion dollar criminal industry. It has been reported that this type of criminal activity will continue to grow in leap and bounds through the foreseeable future. All three credit reporting agencies, TransUnion, Equifax and Experian, offer a monthly credit monitoring service; for a very reasonable fee. If you subscribe to this service, you will be notified of any suspicious credit activity before it can get out of hand.

This is not to say the Big Three credit agencies are the only ones who offer credit monitoring. There are hundreds of these companies who offer the service. Unfortunately you may find some of these companies don’t have the best business ethics. When they give you your instant credit report, they also will monitor your credit for 30 days at no charge. However, there is a little catch!

When the 30 days is up, if you don’t cancel it, the monitoring service will continue automatically. (By the way some of the companies don’t remind you). Guess what happens then? You get a bill for the monitoring service and if you don’t pay it, they report it to the Big 3 as a bad debt. Now is that the pits or what?

Perhaps the most important tip you should take away from this report is you are entitled to only one free credit report a year. This includes the one you may have requested on line. Therefore it is important for you to download all three reports from the big three. It would be a good idea if you would print it out and file with your other important papers.

Once you have received your instant credit report you will be able to determine if you are credit worthy to move forward with your financial decisions.

Discover The Truth About Your Personal Credit Report

Were you aware your personal credit report can be the determining factor in your getting a job? Did you know your private credit report can cause your personal auto and life insurance rates to go up? Just for your information it can also stop you from being insured.

Now did that get your attention? If it did not you have to be asleep at the wheel. Read on to discover other tips about your personal credit report you may not have known.

Most people understand what a personal credit report is. However, most people do not realize the number of companies and government agencies which have access to your credit information. Not only do they have access to it; they use your credit history to make decisions, which can affect you for the rest of your life or at least in the foreseeable future.

One of the companies that will access your credit report is the insurance companies. You may not know it but when you complete an insurance application and sign it; in most cases you are giving them authority to check your credit history. Depending on what the insurance company’s standards are, your credit score and credit history may keep you from being insured or even cause you to be insured at a higher rate.

Your federal and local government agencies also have access to your credit report. One of the major drawbacks about that is they don’t have to reveal to you or get your permission to check your credit history. But in order to get this information these agencies must have a viable reason for obtaining this information.

One agency that you and other people may not like to hear about is the IRS. (Internal Revenue Service). If you are being audited they can track your credit history to help determine if you are committing fraud or not reporting all your income. The way they would be able to use your report is if you have paid off large amounts of debt, but did not report enough taxable income to have done so.

One way your credit report is used is by employers. Often time’s small and large employers will use the credit report to help make character decisions about you. Another way is if you are going to be in a position of handling money, they want to know if you are deeply in debt. It’s hard to believe your personal credit report can be used that way, but it is perfectly legal.

It is true the credit card companies and loaning institutions want to know if you pay your debts on time. But they also want to know that you have enough income to pay any new loan they may make to you. Your personal credit report will not only show the total of the loan but the monthly payment amount.

Many of the lenders will use this information to set a pre-determined credit amount or loan amount. If the total payments plus the new loan payment is above what is called the debt to income ratio they may not grant the loan at all.

As you can see your whole life can be affected by your credit report. Therefore it is advisable for you to keep your personal credit report in the best shape you can.