Credit Report Do I have a right to know what's in my credit report? Yes, if you ask for it. The Consumer Reporting Agencies (CRAs) must tell you everything in your report, including medical information, and in most cases sources of the information. The CRA also must give you a list of everyone who has requested your report within the past year or two years for employment related requests. How do I get a credit report? To request a copy of your credit report, contact one or all of the three largest credit bureaus: Equifax PO Box 105496 Atlanta, GA 30348 www.equifax.com 1-800-685-1111 Experian PO Box 9556 Allen, TX 75013 www.experian.com 1-888-397-3742 TransUnion Consumer Disclosure Center PO Box 1000 Chester, PA 19022 www.transunion.com 1-800-888-4213 You will need to supply the credit bureaus with information so they can identify you. This usually includes your: - Full name, including middle initial and suffix (Jr., Sr., or III) if applicable. - Current address and previous addresses for two to five years, depending on the bureau. - Social Security number. - Date of birth. - Current employer. - Phone number. Is there a charge for my report? Your report is free if you have been denied credit in the last 60 days based on your credit report, you are unemployed and are planning to look for a job within 60 days, you are on welfare, or you are a victim of fraud. Otherwise, there is usually a fee (approximately $8.50). How long can a CRA report negative information? Seven years. There are certain exceptions: - Information about criminal convictions may be reported without any time limitations. - Bankruptcy information may be reported for 10 years. - Information reported because of an application for a job with a salary of more than $75,000 has no time limitations. - Information reported because of an application for more then $150,000 worth of credit or life insurance has no time limit. - Information about a lawsuit or an unpaid judgment against you can be reported for seven years or until the statute of limitation runs out, whichever is longer. How can I establish good credit? Here are four ideas for establishing good credit: Ask local companies for credit. Try your bank, credit union, or a local department store. Make sure that the company sends the information on your credit account to one or more credit reporting bureaus, so that it will help you establish credit. Find a co-signer. Ask a relative or friend with good credit to co-sign your credit application. A co-signer promises to pay if you do not. If you are unable to make the payments on time, the co-signer will be responsible for the loan. Remember that by failing to make the payments, you could damage your relatives or friend's credit. Get a secured credit card. A secured credit card is a bank credit card backed by money you deposit in a bank account. If you do not pay off your credit card bill, the money in your account may be used to cover the debt. Shop around and find a good deal. You can compare current information about secured cards at www.bankrate.com. Before you apply, make sure the card issuer will send the information on your credit account to a credit reporting bureau. Look for secured cards with: - A low annual fee. - No up-front application, processing, or membership fees. - An interest-bearing account for your deposit. Get signed up for Credit When Credit is Due today. Will my credit Rating be protected by CCCS? Calling CCCS for a free counseling session will in no way affect your credit score or credit report. Even if you enter a CCCS Debt Management Plan, CCCS does not report your participation in our Debt Management Plan to credit bureaus. However, each creditor deals with CCCS clients in a different way. Some creditors may report that your account is included on a DMP. Creditors may report your account as current when they receive our proposal, while some wait until they have received three consecutive payments through CCCS. They appreciate that you are honoring your debts rather than running from them through bankruptcy, and after seeing a consistent payment history through CCCS, may look at you as a better credit risk than the typical consumer. Other creditors will consider your account delinquent and will continue to report these delinquencies even though you are working with CCCS. They will accept the payment and stop calling you, but they may still report negative information to credit bureaus. It is up to the individual creditor to make changes in the "History of Payment" column on your credit report. CCCS cannot remove information from your credit report but we can assist you in contacting your creditors for a review of your account.