Our credit scores can have a huge impact on our daily lives. They make the difference when it comes to applying for loans, mortgages and credit cards. A high score means approval, but a low score can prevent you from all of these opportunities. If you want to better monitor your credit, resolve issues with credit reporting agencies, or investigate potential fraud, you may need to quickly get in touch with credit reporting agencies. There are three major national credit reporting agencies: TransUnion, Experian and Equifax.
Equifax
To reach Equifax, call 1-800-685-1111 or contact them online. This web page has additional information about freezing accounts, claiming identity theft, and more. It also has login information for Equifax members.
You also can send written correspondence to the following address:
Equifax Credit Information Services, Inc, P.O. Box 740241, Atlanta, GA 30374.
Experian
To get in contact with Experian, call 1-888-EXPERIAN, or 1-888-397-3742. or online.
You can correspond through mail by writing to the following address:
P.O. Box 2104, Allen, TX 75013-0949.
TransUnion
To contact TransUnion, try calling the phone number 1-800-916-8800 or online.
You may also reach them through mail correspondence at the following address:
P.O. Box 1000, Chester, PA 19022.
There are also aggregators available to you as help when resolving disputes with credit reporting agencies. A prime example of this is Credco. CoreLogic Credco aggregates the three, as a successful provider of merged and specialized credit reports. Credco has access to expansive databases and works with agencies to resolve issues, absolve risk and improve performances.
The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) gives you certain rights that you should be aware of.
- You have the right to a free annual copy of your credit report.
- You have the right to know the names of anyone who received your credit report in the last year.
- You have the right to request credit bureau names by companies that deny your application. They must be able to prove that the denial was based off of the bureau’s information.
- You have the right to file disputes with the credit bureau and company that sent the information to them. They both legally are obligated to investigate your dispute.
Although you are entitled to a free annual copy of your credit report as a consumer, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) suggests that you go through the Annual Credit Report to receive this rather than contacting the agencies directly. You can visit www.annualcreditreport.com, or call 1-877-322-8228 to receive this free report.
Other than the three main credit reporting agencies that we have discussed, there are many more local agencies that you can look up near you. Go online or refer to your phone book to find credit reporting agencies close by.
When you do contact any of the agencies, have a copy of your credit report on hand. Continue to regularly and vigilantly monitor your credit report. This will help to prevent fraud and improve your credit score.
