Free Credit Reports

How to Order Your Credit Reports

The only authorized website where you can order your credit reports for free is at Annual Credit Report (www.annualcreditreport.com). This site is operated by the three major credit agencies and is the central hub where orders are placed. You can also order them by phone through each of the three credit bureaus.

The Major Credit Bureaus

These are the three main credit bureau agencies operating in the United States:

Founded in 1899, Equifax serves customers in the financial services sector, retail, healthcare, telecommunications, insurance and government industries. They have offices in 13 countries. They provide your financial information to potential creditors, and empower consumers to manage and protect their financial health through monitoring services.

• Toll-free: 1-800-685-1111
  

Experian serves more than 40,000 clients in 60 countries, with offices in 12 countries. They maintain credit information on about 300 million consumers and 15 million businesses. Through a variety of partner companies, Experian assists consumers with viewing and monitoring their credit reports, along with offering a variety of financial and debt-servicing services.

• Toll-free: 1-888-397-3742

TransUnion, with partnerships in 30 countries, provides businesses with an accurate and unbiased picture of their financial capabilities. From its founding in 1968, they have been at the forefront of technology, being the first to offer on-line data systems to speed up reporting times to lenders. They were also the first to offer a department dedicated to consumer fraud.

• Toll-free: 1-877-322-8228

Make sure you order straight from the credit bureaus, as they will format the reports to be consumer-friendly. Credit reports are formatted differently based on who asks for the information - for instance, your credit report ordered by your bank will have specific business jargon applicable only to the banking industry.