How Can I Find Out Information About My Credit History?
Your lender looks up credit histories everyday for their clients, but you don’t need to stay in the dark. You can easily find out information about your credit history by contacting the major credit bureaus. It is your right to know about the information that lenders are using to finance your new home. A stellar history guarantees a low-interest loan while significant errors harm your chances for financing. Take control of your credit history and print your copy today.
Contact Credit Bureaus Directly
The three credit bureaus are Equifax, TransUnion and Experian. Each entity has a unique credit history about all your transactions. Contact Equifax at 1-800-685-1111 to request a credit history or go online to Equifax.com. TransUnion can be contacted at 1-800-916-8800 or TransUnion.com. Go to Experian.com or call them at 1-888-397-3742 to get your report today.
What To Look For
You contacted the credit bureaus and received your history. Depending on your age and buying power, you credit history can be several pages long. Take time to go over each line item. You are looking for key phrases regarding each debt, including “high credit limit,” “total loan amount” and “past due.” All the information should be correct.
If you find an error, contact the credit bureau reporting the discrepancy. It is critical to find and fix errors as soon as possible. Each time a home loan lender accesses your credit history, for example, they are reading incorrect actions that may negatively affect your interest rate or other costs. Follow any instructions the bureau gives you to correct an issue. It is worth it in the long run.
Be Prepared To Pay For Gathered Credit History
Each state has a different charge for credit histories. On average, each history costs between $5 and $20. You want to have a report from each bureau. Ideally, they should all reflect the same information.
Some states allow you to access your credit history for free. In these cases, you have a right to download and print your history from each bureau once a year. It is preferable to check your history each year, even if you aren’t purchasing a home. With identity theft on the rise, unusual charges may appear on your history. It is usually easier to get a fresh error off the report compared to long-standing errors that may be harder to argue against.
Access your credit histories today from all three bureaus. As lenders look through this information, you’ll be confident that it is correct for any loan process or negotiations.