Annual Credit Reports
Not sure who may be aware of this or not, but this service [below] is something that I’ve been screaming the public has deserved for many years, especially since the beginning of the digital age.
http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/credit/freereports.htm
You see, the three HUGE credit reporting agencies…..Experian, Equifax & TransUnion [< << the last one featured in the movie Fight Club.....or should i say demolished.......fofl] buy and sell your personal information 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. [along w/ CHOICEPOINT = http://www.choicepoint.com/site.html , which deals more along the lines of collecting and selling ALL YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION....jobs you've worked, health care, personal habits, arrests, criminal records, credit info, rental history, addresses, schools attended, background, etc...etc...., not just the financial side of your history] Congress, in their infinite wisdom [dur-hur], finally decided that instead of these jack-asses charging everyone for their OWN INFORMATION [$8.50 a pop], that we, the consumer, could finally receive a free 'credit report' from each of the 3 agencies at LEAST ONCE A YEAR. [Sometimes different info appears on different reports.] Basically, up to now, I've used [more like abused the hell out of] their phone system by consistently claiming that I may have received a 'negative rating' on some recent request/application, which automatically awarded me [or anyone for that matter] the opportunity to receive a free credit report. [There is nothing inherently illegal about this, but it is a nice 'slap in the face' to those EVOL data peddlers.] Whenever I've received any of these reports, I have just repeatedly disputed anything negative for as long as possible, as many times as possible, until the negative item was removed. You see, if any of the credit agencies do not receive a WRITTEN RESPONSE from a creditor/bank/collector you have a delinquent account with, within 30 days, they automatically remove that item......and it NEVER RETURNS, regardless if they receive a response AFTER THE 30 DAYS. [!hooray for loopholes!] Negative items [judgments/collections/past due bills] on your report stick for 7 YEARS, while bankruptcies [and the like] stick for 10 YEARS. Furthermore, every little negative item hurts you whether you've paid it off or not, for it doesn't remove the negative entry.....only the amount you still owe. [which makes it practically meaningless to payoff something that has already been reported to a collection agency/bureau!] Check it:
AnnualCreditReport.com is a centralized service for consumers to request annual credit reports. It was created by the three nationwide consumer credit reporting companies, Equifax, Experian and TransUnion.
AnnualCreditReport.com processes requests for free credit file disclosures (commonly called credit reports). Under the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act (FACT Act) consumers can request and obtain a free credit report once every 12 months from each of the three nationwide consumer credit reporting companies.… Read More...