sifuwong Posted February 12, 2008 Share Posted February 12, 2008 Haven't pulled my credit report in several years. What are the major credit report agencies? Is it still Transunion, Equifax, and Experian. I was thinking about getting my credit report online, but hesitant to put in sensitive info online to get it. I know that if i was denied credit, i can get a free copy, but that takes too long. I don't mind paying for credit report and FICO score if it doesn't cost too much. Any info or suggestions? Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
musicman Posted February 12, 2008 Share Posted February 12, 2008 (edited) didn't a law pass that allows you to get one free report a yr?EDIT: As of Jan 1, 2004, due to the new FCRA Act of 2003, all credit bureaus will be required to give out one free credit report per year. However, they are not required to give out your credit score for free. Edited February 12, 2008 by musicman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sifuwong Posted February 12, 2008 Author Share Posted February 12, 2008 didn't a law pass that allows you to get one free report a yr?I thought so also. I heard about it over a year ago about getting a free report, but where to go?Maybe i should just apply for a loan to see what interest rate i can get for an auto at my local bank and my credit will be pulled automatically. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
musicman Posted February 12, 2008 Share Posted February 12, 2008 (edited) annualcreditreport.comyou do have to put in info though but it is the only authorized site. Edited February 12, 2008 by musicman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sifuwong Posted February 12, 2008 Author Share Posted February 12, 2008 annualcreditreport.comyou do have to put in info though but it is the only authorized site.Musicman,I found it earlier. Did it over the phone. Thanks . BTW, getting my credit report also will have my FICO scores right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
musicman Posted February 12, 2008 Share Posted February 12, 2008 Musicman,I found it earlier. Did it over the phone. Thanks . BTW, getting my credit report also will have my FICO scores right?i don't think scores are included. the law only guaranteed a free credit report, not the scores. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sidegate Posted February 12, 2008 Share Posted February 12, 2008 It's a breeze getting it your free one from Equifax and Experian but Transunion has been problematic two years in a row. I thought it was just me before I Googled it and found a lot of people have had the same issue. Hope that's not libelous or anything, but thought it was relevant to the post... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sifuwong Posted February 12, 2008 Author Share Posted February 12, 2008 (edited) Ok. If someone disputes some transaction, how long would that transaction stay on the credit report while it is disputed? How long will it take the merchant to reply to the dispute once the consumer disputes it? Will it change the FICO score considerably? Edited February 12, 2008 by sifuwong Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BryanS Posted February 12, 2008 Share Posted February 12, 2008 (edited) Ok. If someone disputes some transaction, how long would that transaction stay on the credit report while it is disputed? How long will it take the merchant to reply to the dispute once the consumer disputes it? Will it change the FICO score considerably?Depending on how recent the dispute is... the merchant may not have elevated it to the point of putting it on your credit report... yet... it's important that you talk to the merchant and get to the bottom of things, ASAP. When I was moving out of a corp-run, nazi apartment complex, "managment" threatened me, that if I did not pay the $25 service charge for my last month's rent (that I paid only a few hours late), they would put it on my credit report (non payment of $25). In terms of what it does or does not do to your FICO score, I presume that would be a function of how much money/payment that is in dispute here... Your credit report should show deliquencies. The credit report (what you get for free, each year), will show your credit score which is different from your FICO score (which you have to, in many cases, pay extra to see.) EDIT: Wanted to make it clear that credit scores and FICO scores are two different things. A credit report may or may not show your credit score (but it should show delinquencies). You may have to pay extra to see the scores... and if you had to pay extra, get your FICO score. Credit scores are just their customized versions of FICO. You only have one FICO (which lenders look at), but up to three different credit scores (from the three credit bureaus). Edited February 12, 2008 by BryanS Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TJones Posted February 12, 2008 Share Posted February 12, 2008 (edited) Sifu, if you want to PM me your fax number. I will fax you over a credit app. to fill out, and get you your report WITH your scores (ALL 3) for free. I will tell you HOW I can do this when you PM me. Then I will let you make the call as to whether you want to trust me or not with your sensitive info. Deal ? Edited February 12, 2008 by TJones Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
musicman Posted February 12, 2008 Share Posted February 12, 2008 When I was moving out of a corp-run, nazi apartment complex, "managment" threatened me, that if I did not pay the $25 service charge for my last month's rent (that I paid only a few hours late)just a few hrs late huh? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cla Posted February 12, 2008 Share Posted February 12, 2008 (edited) A tip I read on consumerreports.org about getting your free credit reports - instead of getting all three at once, stagger the requests so that you get 3 a year. Edited February 12, 2008 by cla Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sidegate Posted February 12, 2008 Share Posted February 12, 2008 you run the risk of missing something - they all carry slightly different data. of course by getting all three at once you run the risk of not finding something for a year. the whole system is messed up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BryanS Posted February 12, 2008 Share Posted February 12, 2008 just a few hrs late huh? The rent was considered 'late' on the 5th... I turned it in at 8:00 a.m., in their box, on the 6th. That was not good enough. I told them I was busy getting ready to move, etc. No mercy. It was like screaming at the rain. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cottonmather0 Posted February 12, 2008 Share Posted February 12, 2008 The scores are not included with the free reports, but each service sells a report + a score for ~ $30 a pop and a 3/3 report/score for ~ $40 or so. I run mine and my wife's a couple times a year and think it's a bargain. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TJones Posted February 13, 2008 Share Posted February 13, 2008 People, don't be scared about running your credit, it doesn't hurt your score to run it once, it is when you start running around town, letting EVERYONE pull your credit that it hurts, because everytime you pull it, it goes down 4 points. So, if you pull it 4 times within a month, you have lost 16 points. I have seen some people who have literally pulled their credit 20 times in 2 weeks time, and have put themselves in a position where they couldn't get bought at that point. Whereas, if they would have decided at the first place they went, it would have been no problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BryanS Posted February 13, 2008 Share Posted February 13, 2008 People, don't be scared about running your credit, it doesn't hurt your score to run it once, it is when you start running around town, letting EVERYONE pull your credit that it hurts, because everytime you pull it, it goes down 4 points. So, if you pull it 4 times within a month, you have lost 16 points. I have seen some people who have literally pulled their credit 20 times in 2 weeks time, and have put themselves in a position where they couldn't get bought at that point. Whereas, if they would have decided at the first place they went, it would have been no problem.It is beyond stupid, to me, that your credit score gets dinged 4 or 5 points at a whack, every time your report is pulled. The old thought was, hey, if this person is getting their credit pulled a lot, they might go out and take out a bunch of loans, and borrow a lot of money, and pose risk to lenders. OK... but what about the person who is shopping for a good home or car loan? In order to get a quote from different companies, each one has to pull my credit, and in doing so, my credit score keeps going down, down, down, which affects how much I have to pay in interest. Criminal in my mind. Regardless of how many times your report is queried, your score should not go down. Once you act on one of those queries (e.g. take out a loan) - then readjust the score as necessary... Otherwise, people can't shop for good loans without damaging their credit. Never understood why simply looking/pulling a report was/is a credible credit risk factor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sifuwong Posted February 19, 2008 Author Share Posted February 19, 2008 It is beyond stupid, to me, that your credit score gets dinged 4 or 5 points at a whack, every time your report is pulled. The old thought was, hey, if this person is getting their credit pulled a lot, they might go out and take out a bunch of loans, and borrow a lot of money, and pose risk to lenders. OK... but what about the person who is shopping for a good home or car loan? In order to get a quote from different companies, each one has to pull my credit, and in doing so, my credit score keeps going down, down, down, which affects how much I have to pay in interest. Criminal in my mind. Regardless of how many times your report is queried, your score should not go down. Once you act on one of those queries (e.g. take out a loan) - then readjust the score as necessary... Otherwise, people can't shop for good loans without damaging their credit. Never understood why simply looking/pulling a report was/is a credible credit risk factor.I thought your credit gets dinged only when u your credit gets pulled by lenders and not when you yourself requests a credit report. Also, i thought it applied only to getting FICO score reports. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cottonmather0 Posted February 20, 2008 Share Posted February 20, 2008 It is beyond stupid, to me, that your credit score gets dinged 4 or 5 points at a whack, every time your report is pulled. The old thought was, hey, if this person is getting their credit pulled a lot, they might go out and take out a bunch of loans, and borrow a lot of money, and pose risk to lenders. OK... but what about the person who is shopping for a good home or car loan? In order to get a quote from different companies, each one has to pull my credit, and in doing so, my credit score keeps going down, down, down, which affects how much I have to pay in interest. Criminal in my mind. Regardless of how many times your report is queried, your score should not go down. Once you act on one of those queries (e.g. take out a loan) - then readjust the score as necessary... Otherwise, people can't shop for good loans without damaging their credit. Never understood why simply looking/pulling a report was/is a credible credit risk factor.I would say that most lenders don't actually run your credit until the very end when you've already verbally agreed to their deal. Rather, they take your word at first about your score (hence you should always know it yourself before you apply for credit) and use that hypothetical to show offer you terms. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
editor Posted February 20, 2008 Share Posted February 20, 2008 It is beyond stupid, to me, that your credit score gets dinged 4 or 5 points at a whack, every time your report is pulled. The old thought was, hey, if this person is getting their credit pulled a lot, they might go out and take out a bunch of loans, and borrow a lot of money, and pose risk to lenders. OK... but what about the person who is shopping for a good home or car loan? In order to get a quote from different companies, each one has to pull my credit, and in doing so, my credit score keeps going down, down, down, which affects how much I have to pay in interest. Criminal in my mind. Regardless of how many times your report is queried, your score should not go down. Once you act on one of those queries (e.g. take out a loan) - then readjust the score as necessary... Otherwise, people can't shop for good loans without damaging their credit. Never understood why simply looking/pulling a report was/is a credible credit risk factor.Maybe that's a good argument for going with one of those mortgage bidding companies you see advertised on TV all the time. I can't think of any names, but I remember one has the slogan "When banks compete, you win." If the one company is pulling your credit and then sharing the information with the various banks, that would seem to keep your score from plummeting. If that is how they work. I really don't know -- it's just a theory. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
musicman Posted February 20, 2008 Share Posted February 20, 2008 i got my report last week and it surprised me at just how many times it was pulled. some of my credit cards pulled it every month even though i have no late charges/etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crunchtastic Posted February 20, 2008 Share Posted February 20, 2008 Those direct mail offers you get from your bank are sometimes (not always) the result of mail lists that rely on your credit report/score as the primary sorting tool. I'm happy to say I was never the evil mastermind of any credit card junk mail, but let's just say, after 10 years doing (among other things) brokerage and insurance direct mail strategy for an integrated financial firm with it's own large bank, I know how the sausage is made. The credit card industry has, with the total support of the government, done everything they can to insure the consumer gets the raw end of the deal, in every possible instance. The credit score/credit report is a good example of something you are rendered powerless to truly control, yet are entirely dependent on. Same story with indentity theft/fraud. But, of course, an entirely separate category of products now exist solely to convince you that you can buy an addtional level of security or control over your credit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TJones Posted February 21, 2008 Share Posted February 21, 2008 Maybe that's a good argument for going with one of those mortgage bidding companies you see advertised on TV all the time. I can't think of any names, but I remember one has the slogan "When banks compete, you win." If the one company is pulling your credit and then sharing the information with the various banks, that would seem to keep your score from plummeting. If that is how they work. I really don't know -- it's just a theory.Nope, each lender pulls your credit, "Lending Tree" is who you are referring to, and they cannot share your bureau, each lender has to pay the fees for the right to pull your score. All you have done with Lending Tree is given them your information and allowed them to be your "middleman" for getting the info to the different lenders in order for them to pull your credit. Lending Tree has pros who can look at your credit and get you with the best 3 or 4 lenders that want your business, determined by your amount of good credit.Musicman, sounds like the credit card company keeps pulling it because they are looking for a way to charge you more interest. You don't even have to be late on their payment, if you are late on another loan, they can say, "Because of your recent credit history, we have determined that you are a higher risk now and blah blah blah." I would payoff that card immediately, cancel the account and cut it up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
musicman Posted February 21, 2008 Share Posted February 21, 2008 Musicman, sounds like the credit card company keeps pulling it because they are looking for a way to charge you more interest. You don't even have to be late on their payment, if you are late on another loan, they can say, "Because of your recent credit history, we have determined that you are a higher risk now and blah blah blah." I would payoff that card immediately, cancel the account and cut it up.they can charge whatever they want cause i pay mine off monthly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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