What information is included in my credit report?
Your
personal credit report contains:
- Your name, current and previous addresses, phone number, Social
Security number, year of birth and any nicknames the bureau
identifies with your given name. Your spouse's name may appear
on your version of the credit report, but it will not appear
on the version that is provided to others. This information
comes in part from your credit applications, so its accuracy
depends on your filling out the forms clearly, completely
and consistently each time you apply for credit.
- Specific information about each account, such as the date opened,
credit limit or loan amount, balance, monthly payment and
payment pattern during the past several years. This information
comes from companies that do business with you.
- Federal district bankruptcy records and state and county court records
of tax liens and monetary judgments. This information comes
from public records.
- The names of those companies who have obtained a copy of your credit
report. (Often, on your copy of the report, addresses are
included.) This information comes from the credit reporting
agency.
- Statements of dispute, which allow both consumers and creditors
to report the factual history of an account. Statements of
dispute are added after a consumer officially disputes the
status of an account, the account has been reinvestigated,
and the consumer and creditor cannot agree about the account
status. Both the consumer's and creditor's statements of the
account status will appear on the credit report.
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What information is not in a credit report?
Your
credit report does not contain - and Bureaus do not collect
- data about race, religious preference, medical history, personal
lifestyle, political preference, your friends, a criminal record
or any other information unrelated to credit.
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How can I get a copy of my credit
report other than with Community Empower online?
Once per year, you may request a free
copy of your credit report at www.annualcreditreport.com.
Or you can purchase a copy of your credit report direct from
the Bureaus via telephone, call Experian at 1-800-311-4769.
You may contact TransUnion at 1-800-888-4213. You may contact
Equifax at 1-800-685-1111.
Your free credit
report will not contain your credit score, nor will it contain
a personalized credit improvement action plan. When you register
in Community Empower, you get much more than a credit report.
Learn more about your Community
Empower comprehensive credit analysis.
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How long does information remain on the credit report?
A Bureau stores
information from credit grantors and public records, including
bankruptcies, judgments and liens. Missed payments and most
public record items remain on the credit report for seven years,
with the exception of Chapter 7, 11 and 12 bankruptcies, which
remain for 10 years, and unpaid tax liens, which remain for
15 years. Active positive information may remain on the report
indefinitely. Requests and inquiries for your credit history
remain on the credit report for up to two years.
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What is a security alert, and how can it help prevent
further fraudulent activity?
A
security alert is a special message that you can request if
you have reason to believe that information on your credit report
may be inaccurate due to fraud. It displays on the credit report
and asks potential creditors who view your report to verify
the identification information used by an applicant before granting
credit in the consumer's name.
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How can I request a security alert be added to my
credit report?
Contact
one of the three major Bureaus:
-
TransUnion
at P.O. Box 390, Springfield, PA, 19064 or call 1-800-888-4213.
-
Equifax
at P.O. Box 740256, Atlanta, GA, 30374 or call 1-800-685-1111.
-
Experian
at P.O. Box 2002, Allen,
TX, 75013 or call 1-888-397-3742.
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What is a victim statement, and
how can it help to prevent further fraudulent activity?
If you find evidence of fraud on your
credit report, you may want to add a seven-year victim statement
to your credit report that asks potential credit grantors to
call you before granting credit in your name. If you did not
apply for credit, you can instruct the creditor not to process
the application. This should prevent a new account from being
established using your identification information. The victim
statement has a section for two phone numbers to display. Again,
you may contact one of the Bureaus to add a victim statement
to your credit report.
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Can
a security alert or a victim statement affect me in a negative
manner?
The
presence of a security alert or victim statement should not
interfere with your daily use of a credit card or banking/checking
accounts. A security alert or victim statement may limit your
ability to obtain instant credit for in-store purchases. If
you prefer to purchase items on a new line of credit established
at a retail store and you must take possession of those items
immediately, your request for credit may be delayed because
of the high risk associated with this type of business transaction.
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