802. Can I get a free copy of my own credit report?
Description
This article is from the Credit cards and Consumer Credit FAQ, by adams@spss.com (Steve Adams) with numerous contributions by others.
802. Can I get a free copy of my own credit report?
You can get a free copy of a report if the lender used that report
to help decide to turn you down for credit, employment, or insurance
within the last 30 days. See "I was refused a loan" in section 7,
"Credit bureaus and your credit rating." To its credit, TRW extends
that period to 60 days. Equifax and TRW will accept phone requests
in this case only; see "Can I phone in my request," below.
If you haven't recently been turned down, the answer is less clear:
- TRW will provide one complimentary report per year. This is the
result of a consent decree that settled lawsuits by 14 states.
- Equifax and Trans Union are not under any legal obligation to
provide free routine reports to consumers, but it appears they may
be doing it anyway. If they do ask for a fee, you have no legal
complaint.
Anecdotal evidence suggests that both Equifax and Trans Union
will provide free reports, but this is not always the case.
From evidence received from email correspondants and personal
attempts, sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. You can send
a request with your address and SSN to all three bureaus with the
request "Please send me a copy of my credit report" -- no money, no
statement of having been denied credit, and see what happens.
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