Your credit history is contained in reports from three separate credit bureaus: Experian, TransUnion, and Equifax. These reports list all payments made on loans and credit cards. Although these three reports are supposed to be identical, they sometimes are not. Give yourself time to look over them and correct any mistakes you run across.
The other key component is your credit score. Fair Isaac Credit Corp. is the keeper of your credit score called the FICO score. It ranges from 300 being the worst credit score to 850 being the best.
You can get your credit history reports from the three bureaus, but you have to ask every year (one free report per bureau per year). You can get them by going to www.annualcreditreport.com. You will have to give them your Social Security number and answer personal questions in order for them to verify that you are who you say you are, but you will get the reports and their explanation instantly. If you want to get your credit score, you will have to buy them from Fair Isaac Credit Corp. To do that, you will have to go to www.myfico.com. Go with the cheapest package; its standard price is at $14.95.
If you find that you are in desperate need of help with your credit standing, you can receive free, high-quality help to get you back on track by going to visit the website of the National Foundation for Credit Counseling at www.debtadvice.org.
