Wednesday, April 7, 2010 as of 11:14 AM ET
Equifax Inc. is a consumer credit reporting agency in the United States, considered one of the three largest American credit agencies along with Experian and TransUnion.
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Improving your credit is a great way to better your overall financial standing.
But tackling this task first requires knowing where your credit stands.Many of the online offers you see for free or $1 credit scores come with strings attached, which often involve a temporary trial for a credit-monitoring subscription program. These programs will likely run you $15-20 a month -- unless you cancel before that period ends.Numerous sites feature these offers, including those for the three credit-reporting bureaus: Experian, Equifax and TransUnion. But it is possible to get your credit score and credit report online for free with less fuss -- if you know where to look.Your credit scoreThere are sites where you can obtain your credit score without shelling out any money or enrolling in a credit-monitoring program, including:Credit Sesame (CreditSesame.com): Upon answering some questions, including queries on your Social Security number and financial goals, up pops your credit score. Credit Kar...
Rodney Anderson, executive director of Supreme Lending, on why and where he is feeling optimistic in today’s housing market.
Most people have a credit report, but how many actually know what goes into them? If you listen to educators at the top three credit bureaus -- Experian, Equifax and...
Dear Bankruptcy Adviser, I am going to marry someone who has filed bankruptcy. He gave up his house as part of the bankruptcy and came to live with me. His bankruptc...
Do you know the difference between a Jeremiah and a Cassandra? No, not in the obvious sense that one's a man and the other a woman. It's perfectly possible that your...
Dear To Her Credit,I had some credit cards back in 1996. At that time, I was married. My husband and I divorced in 1997. I got my maiden name back during the divorce...
If you thought missing a credit card payment was not a big deal -- especially since you made a double payment the next month -- think again.Missed payments have take...
Gone are the days of the good old-fashioned purse snatcher. With little brute and more skill, thieves only need a minute, sometimes a second, to pilfer your credit c...
Having a few dings on your credit report would have made getting a new credit card or auto loan nearly impossible a few years ago.Your chances these days, though, of...
Can you pull someone else's credit report?Absolutely, and there are a number of circumstances when you ought to. Consumer credit reports and credit scores can provid...
Identity thieves respect no one -- not even the recently deceased. In fact, a person's identity may be more susceptible to ID theft in the months following death tha...
Losing your job and emptying your bank account won't directly affect your credit score. Neither will refusing to pay your rent. In fact, you could be in prison facin...
Over the past three years of writing this column, I've answered many interesting questions about credit cards, credit reporting and credit scores. Sadly, this will b...
Borrowing against your own cash and paying interest on that loan might seem counterintuitive, but savings account customers across the country are doing just that.Wh...
Making a mistake while taking a mid-term or a typo in a research paper is easy enough to erase and fix, but mistakes on a credit history can have long-term consequen...
Dear Opening Credits,I came to United States from Bermuda in May 2011, and was able to obtain a credit card with HSBC with a $10,000 limit as they gave me the benefi...
Question: When is a loan considered income? Answer: When a bank wants a way to justify slipping a credit card into the wallet of a college student.That's the content...
SmartCredit.com President of Consumer Education John Ulzheimer on employers use of credit reports as part of their employment screening process.
Dear Credit Card Adviser,I've read that if someone who has excellent credit puts you on their credit card as an authorized user, it can help raise your credit score....
Dear Credit Card Adviser, I've read that if someone who has excellent credit puts you on their credit card as an authorized user, it can help raise your credit score...
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