What's in a Number ? Your good Name !

Q:  Where Can I get a Free Credit Report ?

A: With the passing of the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act ( FACT Act ), each U.S. citizen is entitled to one free copy of their credit report from each credit reporting agency ( TransUnion, Experian , Equifax Experian )once every 12 months .

This information is available at the only government-sanctioned credit reporting agency-operated website, annualcreditreport.com, by calling 1-877-322-8228, or by mailing the Annual Credit Report Request Form.

the free report does not contain a credit score, though a credit score may be purchased at the time of access. Requesting a credit report will subject you to "pre-screened" offers of credit cards. To prevent all three credit bureaus from making your address available to credit card companies for this purpose, you may opt out by calling 1-888-5-OPT-OUT (1-888-567-8688).

What Credit Score Number is considered good ?

720-760 will usually get the best rates, offers and cards.  

Your Credit Score and Looking for a job :

Many employers require job applicants to give permission for them to run a credit check as part of the application process. This credit information can be used as a signal of a person's level of responsibility.

What are the Range of Scores on a Credit Report ?

A FICO score is between 300 and 850, with 60% of scores between 650 and 799.According to Fair Isaac the median score is 723  while according to Experian (using the Fair Isaac risk model) the average credit score is 678 .

There are three major credit bureaus - Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion - and they don't share information. So even if you correct an error on one credit report, you will have to do the same on the other two.

What if there is a mistake on my credit report ?

You have the right under federal law to challenge items on your credit report. The credit bureau then has 30 days to decide whether that item should be removed.

 If a credit bureau refuses to correct a mistake, you can sue.

Get copies of all three credit reports six months before you apply for a home loan. An error on your credit report can take months to straighten out .

One in three people find mistakes in their reports

What is the Vantage Score ?

The three major credit-reporting agencies introduced VantageScore. VantageScore uses a number range (501 to 990), which is different from FICO's, and assigns letter grades (A to F) to specific score ranges.

    A: 901?90

    B: 801?00

    C: 701?00

    D: 601?00

    F: 501?00

 links