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A recent amendment to the Federal Fair Credit Reporting Act requires each of the major national credit reporting companies to provide you with a free copy of your credit report, at your request, once every 12 months. Free report availability was phased-in during a nine-month period, rolling from states in the West to the states in the East. Since September 1, 2005, a free annual credit report has been accessible to all Americans wherever they live. You may use any of the following methods to order your free annual credit report from one or all three of the national consumer credit reporting agencies:
Do not contact any of the three credit reporting agencies individually. They provide free annual credit reports only through the methods outlined above. Additional Consumer Rights to Free Reports Under Federal law, you are entitled to a free credit report if a company takes adverse action against your credit or service request (such as denying your application for credit, insurance, or employment), and you request your report within 60 days of receiving notice of the action. The notice will give you the name, address, and phone number of the credit reporting agency. You are also entitled to one free report per year if you’re unemployed and plan to look for a job within 60 days, you’re receiving welfare assistance, or your credit report is inaccurate because of fraud. Otherwise, a consumer reporting company may charge you up to $9.50 for another copy of your report within a 12-month period. You would work directly with a credit reporting agency to purchase copies of your credit report beyond the free annual report. In the State of Colorado, residents may obtain a free copy of their credit report once per year for any reason. To buy a copy of your report, contact: • Equifax: 800-685-1111; www.equifax.com • Experian: 888-EXPERIAN (888-397-3742); www.experian.com • TransUnion: 800-916-8800; www.transunion.com
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