Five Reasons to Check
Your Credit Report Regularly
In much the same way
that a resume displays your work experience to a prospective employer,
a credit report provides prospective creditors (and in some cases
employers and insurers too) with a detailed picture of your credit
history. And like a resume, your credit report can influence whether
you will receive what you are applying for.
Ideally, your credit
report is an accurate, up-to-date reflection of your credit history.
However, since we don't live in an ideal world, there are many
reasons that your credit report could contain inaccuracies that
might prevent you from receiving the credit you deserve. The good
news is you can take action to keep your report accurate. Here
are the top five reasons why you should make a practice of regularly
reviewing your credit report:
Inaccuracies & Mixed
Credit Files
Many inaccuracies on
a credit report can be the result of simple human error, and are
therefore are not difficult to dispute. Of course, if you don't
order your credit report, you might never know about it. Whether
the inaccuracies relate to payments not credited, late payments,
or data mixed in from the credit file of someone else with a name
similar to yours, you will want to contact the credit bureau to
dispute inaccurate information promptly. If you would like to
get a free copy of your credit report,
click here now.
Tracking Payments
One of the most important
elements of credit is a demonstrated history of on time payments.
Once you send the check though, anything can happen--a delay in
the payment being received can kick you over to a 30-day delinquency.
If you call your creditor and explain the situation, they might
adjust the information. Of course, if you don't read your credit
report, you won't necessarily know which payments are being received
and reported properly. If you would like to get a free copy of
your credit report,
click here now.
Identity Theft
This issue alone is
reason to order your credit report immediately. Identity theft
is an insidious crime, involving a thief who assumes your name
to open new accounts, divert your card statements to another address,
and run up all sorts of bad debt without you ever knowing about
it until collectors come calling. Over time, identity theft could
jeopardize your ability to obtain further credit. The best way
to catch a thief who is using your name is by getting a copy of
your credit report, which will show you if there are accounts
listed you know you haven't opened. For example, if a thief has
intercepted a pre-approved credit card offer in your name and
sent it in with a change of address, your credit report will include
the account. If you would like to get a free copy of your credit
report,
click here now.
Inquiries
If you're shopping
around for a loan or more credit, you should know that when creditors
check your credit, it places an inquiry on your credit report.
Inquiries can add up, which is often interpreted as a negative
by creditors. For this reason, too many inquiries can actually
make getting credit more difficult. Moreover, if you didn't authorize
someone to look at your credit report and they did, they may have
broken the law. If you would like to see who's been looking at
your credit,
click here to get a free copy of your credit report.
Credit Fraud--Unauthorized
Charges
Credit fraud involves
the theft of your credit card or account number to make unauthorized
charges to your account. Though consumers are protected financially
from this abuse, other creditors may take note of all this activity
and decide to raise your interest rates or refuse to grant you
a loan. Ordering your credit report will help you catch new activity
on accounts that you haven't been using, or may have closed. If
you would like to get a free copy of your credit report,
click here now.
When it comes to managing
your credit worthiness, your credit report is your best resource.
Ordering your credit report gives you the opportunity to manage
your credit wisely today, while planning your credit strategy
for achieving future goals--a credit-savvy move every consumer
should make!
click here to get your credit report, for free!
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