Your Credit-Contacting the Three Major Credit Bureaus

Well, here we go, installment number 2 in the "Your Credit" series.

Listed here are the three credit reporting agencies. I have found, at least for myself, calling them can be tedious (it is a long drawn out "automated" phone call). I much prefer contacting them via the free-once-a-year Annual Credit Report, as mentioned below.

Equifax
Post Office Box 740241
Atlanta, Georgia 30374-0241
Order Credit Report 1-800-685-1111
Report Fraud 1-800-525-6285

Experian
Post Office Box 2104
Allen, Texas 75013-2104
Order Credit Report 1-888-EXPERIAN (397-3742)
Report Fraud 1-888-EXPERIAN

Trans Union
760 Sproul Road
Post Office Box 390
Springfield, Pennsylvania 19064-0390
Order Credit Report 1-800-916-8800
Report Fraud 1-800-680-7289

Everyone qualifies for one free credit report per year. You can get this credit report through email at www.annualcreditreport.com or by calling 877-322-8228.

You can also ask for your free credit report by mail by sending a letter to Annual Credit Report Request Service, P.O. Box 105281, Atlanta, GA 30348_5281 or by filling out the form available at the Federal Trade Commission's Web site at: http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/edcams/credit/docs/fact_act_request_form.pdf.

Email or snail mail, it can take anywhere from 5 weeks to 8 weeks to get your report from each bureau.

In part three we will cover some basics of how to clean up your report.