Buying a House? Know your credit score and get a free credit report. Ocean City MD. Susan Antigone - ShoreFun4U homes for sale.

Topic Summary: For years now consumers have been given the option to obtain their credit report for free from the big three credit reporting agencies.  Recent reports indicate that up to 79% of reports have errors.
1)      Get free reports 
2)       How to fix errors the right way
3)      Where to go when not satisfied
4)      A fantastic site to go to for free tools
We all know that our credit reports are a very important financial tool that credit grantors and employers have to assess an individual's credit-worthiness. The government for years has given consumers a free way to see what is in your credit reports, and now they provide a resource called the Consumer Financial Protection Board to help you if you can't get satisfaction when errors are found.
First up you can get your free credit reports from the three national agencies, Equifax, Experian and TransUnion once every 12 months. The site to get the free reports is www.annualcreditreport.com . Be careful if typing in the web address as here are many sites that look like that address but will try to sell you credit monitoring and other services.
Once you have your reports, dig into every line item and see if all makes sense! Each report tells you what to do to when you think there is an error. The Fair Credit Reporting Act says the agencies have to get back to you in a certain time-frame or the item in question must be deleted

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 CONSUMER TIP: DO NOT FILL OUT THE DISPUTE FORM ONLINE (see these 7 tips on how to work disputes)

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If you are still not satisfied, call in "Big Brother"
The Consumer Financial Protection Board was set up a few years ago to be the watchdog for consumers when they engage in the financial services sector. This organization takes on big financial services companies and enforces regulations and administers fines when there are anti-consumer practices. On This Page Here,you can start the formal dispute of a contested item on your credit report. You will be given a case number and progress on the complaint.
A Get It All Done Site We Recommend!www.CreditKarma.com
This site is getting rave reviews for being easy to use and free. There are some ads that come with the service but generally they are not intrusive. Once you register, CreditKarma goes to work monitoring your balances, payments and any warnings are given to you by email.

Highlights

Get Your Free Credit Score

Credit Karma believes that every consumer has a right to access their scores. You'll get four credit scores along with free credit tools to help you better understand what a good credit score is. Even better, you'll receive your free credit score without a credit card.
Get Your Free Credit Report Card
The totally free Credit Report Card is an easy-to-understand summary of your credit report details. Use the Credit Report Card to gain a better understanding of your credit history and how it impacts your credit health.

Enroll in Free Credit Monitoring

Credit monitoring can help prevent identity theft and inaccurate information from appearing on your credit report. You'll receive an email when something important changes in your credit report.
Gain Insight into Your Credit Report
Along with your free score, you'll see important details of your credit report for free. In addition to your free Credit Report Card, you can view the details on your individual credit cards, mortgages, auto loans and personal loans. You can use this section to spot any fraudulent or mistaken accounts on your credit report, maintain a record of your reported balance history, keep tabs on your credit card utilization rate, and receive recommendations for new loans and credit cards.