Archbob
Ancient CFC Guardian
So there's some government site that can give you your credit score for free. Where is it? Does anyone know. I'm sure its a .gov page, but I can't find it.
Where is a free credit report
- Thread starter Archbob
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sonorakitch
Overseas hunter
Just go to one of the three credit reporting agencies...they are obligated to provide you with a free credit report once a year. Transunion, Experian, and Equifax. Not sure of any "gov" website that does this....
Archbob
Ancient CFC Guardian
Can I get a URL?
sonorakitch
Overseas hunter
Try this.....
http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/Banking/YourCreditRating/HowToGetACreditReportForFree.aspx
They aren't obliged to provide you with a FICO score unfortunately, but you can view your detailed credit reports. Figuring out the score yourself is a boondoggle, as the agencies have so many parameters to tabulate it. Its a scam if you ask me...but the most important number you'll ever deal with too.
http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/Banking/YourCreditRating/HowToGetACreditReportForFree.aspx
They aren't obliged to provide you with a FICO score unfortunately, but you can view your detailed credit reports. Figuring out the score yourself is a boondoggle, as the agencies have so many parameters to tabulate it. Its a scam if you ask me...but the most important number you'll ever deal with too.
Archbob
Ancient CFC Guardian
Man, there's not a place where it just tells me my credit score for free? Thats all I want to know.
sonorakitch
Overseas hunter
Not credit score. Stupid as it may be, the credit reporting agencies don't have to tell you this. I'd advise you acquire your three reports and look them over for inaccuracies. If all is well, then you *hopefully* don't have anything to worry about. The problem emerges when you find things, like long lost credit cards, that have negative reporting.
You can always subscribe to a "free credit reporting agency" like Free Credit Report.com for around $7/month (gotta call to get that rate) and then check out your scores....then cancel the next month. Although I've heard the FCR.com numbers are inaccurate as THEY calculate your score independently as a best guess.
~Chris
You can always subscribe to a "free credit reporting agency" like Free Credit Report.com for around $7/month (gotta call to get that rate) and then check out your scores....then cancel the next month. Although I've heard the FCR.com numbers are inaccurate as THEY calculate your score independently as a best guess.
~Chris
History_Buff
Deity
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I've also heard that requesting a credit report more than once a year will actually reduce your credit rating. Insane.
sonorakitch
Overseas hunter
True indeed. Although these requests are "soft inquiries". A hard inquiry is a request from a underwriter, bank, or other institution.
There are actually ways to mitigate the effects of these inquiries, like applying for multiple loans at the same time. There is a whole industry out there catering to those who keep credit scores closer than anniversaries.
There are actually ways to mitigate the effects of these inquiries, like applying for multiple loans at the same time. There is a whole industry out there catering to those who keep credit scores closer than anniversaries.
Reading this thread ... how is this NOT evil? Like, every single American is seemingly enslaved to an oligopoly of credit providers? A number that determines your credit score, but you cannot see it?
Who owns this number? Is it copyrighted? Are lenders coerced into giving out your information to generate this score?
This is almost worse than the fact that every single good at a store is marked up 2% with a 'VISA tax' that the merchant has to pay and cannot tell us about.
Who owns this number? Is it copyrighted? Are lenders coerced into giving out your information to generate this score?
This is almost worse than the fact that every single good at a store is marked up 2% with a 'VISA tax' that the merchant has to pay and cannot tell us about.
It doesn't, however, you're only alloted one free report per credit bureau per year.
Just go to the transunion or equifax sites and fill out the applicable stuff if you want your credit report from them.
Since the last set of credit card laws were passed in Canada, merchants now have the option of applying discounts or surcharges to any payment method as they see fit. (Was formerly disallowed by CC merchant agreements.)
Falcon02
General
Yes,
Here's the FTC's website about Free Credit Reports (which links to the Annual Credit Report)
The Federal Trade Commission's Information on Free Annual Credit Reports
Along with the internal link to the above site
AnnualCreditReport.com
Of course it's also the same site listed in the MSN website.
Also... you can get your credit score... you just have to pay $7-10 for it...
Not much point in doing this, once you verify everything on the report is correct, knowing the number doesn't really make any difference.
Falcon02
General
Quite true, but it can be informative, as I believe many lenders will just look at the credit score, and often don't review the details of the report itself .
But if your report looks good, you can have pretty good confidence your score should be good.
Syterion
Voodoo Economist
Free Credit Report . Com
That's where I should've gone
Should've got my knowledge on
Seriously though, freecreditreport.com isn't actually free, it's a scam.
That's where I should've gone
Should've got my knowledge on
Seriously though, freecreditreport.com isn't actually free, it's a scam.
That's the one.
https://www.annualcreditreport.com/cra/index.jsp
No score, just history. Score is useful for, say, renting a new apartment or having an idea of what kind of loan you're likely to be able to get. Some landlords don't "get" the non-score credit history. But if you look over your history and there is nothing negative you know you'll have a good score.
In regards to El Mac's evil-ness comment; what I think is crazy is having no credit history, (for instance, a person who never uses a credit card, never took out a loan, etc.) also gives you a "bad" credit score. Understandable from the perspective of credit companies since to them no history is useless, but also a little absurd if you think that someone who has basically always paid for everything in full (or in other words, never purchased something they cannot afford) is essentially lumped into the same pile as people with poor records of repayment.
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