February 15th, 2012 STAGGERED CREDIT REPORTS

     In the age of identity theft and tight credit markets, we all know that keeping an eye on your credit is important. Detecting fraudulent activity and errors early allows you to take steps to avoid identity theft and correct mistakes that may cost you money.

     Under federal law, each of the three major credit reporting agencies (Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion) are required to provide you with one free copy of your credit report every 12 months. You can easily order your credit reports from these agencies through annualcreditreport.com (online, by phone, or through the mail). BEWARE—there are many imposter websites out there. Annualcreditreport.com is the official site created by the three major credit reporting agencies.

     When you order your report(s), you have the option to order one, two, or all three of the available credit reports. While each report may contain different information, each report will generally give you a “snapshot” of your credit at that point in time. Rather than requesting all three at the same time, it may be advisable to stagger your requests throughout the year, requesting a credit report from each of the three agencies at different times. That way, you will be able to see your credit snapshot several times throughout the year, rather than just once, so you can discover potential issues with your credit earlier.

     For more information about obtaining your free credit reports, see:

https://www.annualcreditreport.com/cra/index.jsp

http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/credit/cre34.shtm