This is how to see your credit report for FREE.

There are three national consumer reporting agencies: Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. You can review your credit report from each agency at no cost once every 12 months.

If you want a copy of your credit report with a credit score, you can purchase it for a nominal fee. We suggest you go to Myfico.com if you want to purchase your FICO credit score. It’s the one used most often by creditors.

See “Why We Insist” you check your credit report.

To review your report, go to AnnualCreditReport.com.

This is the ONLY website where you can get your free credit report as a result of the FACT (Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions) Act of 2003. You may have heard advertisements that claim to offer a “free” credit report.

But what these sites typically ask you to do is pay a monthly fee for a service such as credit monitoring. In essence, it’s not really “free.”

Only go to AnnualCreditReport.com.

In addition to receiving one free credit report each year from each of the three national consumer reporting agencies, you can also receive a free credit report or one for a reduced fee in the following situations:

• If the state you live in has a law that entitles you to credit reports for free or for a reduced price.
• If you are unemployed and intend to apply for employment in the next 60 days.
• If, within the past 60 days, you received notice of an adverse decision such as denial of credit, insurance or employment.
• If you are on pubic welfare assistance.
• If you believe your file contains errors due to fraud.

So, if you’re ever denied a loan or even employment because of something on your credit report, you have the right to obtain a free copy of the report that was used to make that decision.

Your credit history and credit report is YOUR credit history and credit report. It’s a picture of how reliable and credible you are to current and potential lenders, and employers. In a way, it’s your reputation.

We encourage you to take care of that reputation by checking your reports every year and making sure everything is in order.