An error on your credit report can make it harder—or impossible—to get a loan. Bad credit can also hurt your chances of getting a job offer or obtaining affordable insurance. Make it a point to get your free credit reports once a year at AnnualCreditReport.com, the website run by the “Big Three” credit bureaus—Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion—and authorized by the federal goverment. We recommend asking for one report every four months to get a more comprehensive picture of your credit throughout the year. That way, you can avoid costly "credit monitoring" services.
If you see mistakes in your credit report—even small ones—dispute them right away. The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) of 1970 requires credit bureaus—also called credit-reporting agencies—to correct or delete inaccurate, incomplete, or unverifiable information on your credit report, usually within 30 days.
Under the credit-reporting law, creditors and credit-reporting agencies must conduct meaningful and detailed investigations of complaints. If they don’t, consumers may have a claim for actual damages, statutory damages, and punitive damages.
Read how a bad credit report can hurt you, and get Consumer Reports' advice on how to improve your credit score.
Here are some tips for getting satisfaction:
—Tobie Stanger (@TobieStanger on Twitter)
A version of this article also appeared in the January 2015 issue of Consumer Reports magazine.
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