Credit Reporting Press Release for Consumers
To: National and Business Desks
RE: Free Credit Reports available in the Southern States starting June 1.
Pursuant to the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act (FACTA) passed by Congress in late 2003, consumers in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas will be eligible for their free annual credit reports on June 1, 2005.
After that date, consumers in those states may apply for their free reports online at www.annualcreditreport.com. This annualcreditreport web site is a joint venture of the three national credit bureaus Equifax, Experian, and Trans Union. The construction and design of the site were specified by FACTA and approved by the Federal Trade Commission.
For consumers without Internet access, you may call 1-877-322-8228 for your free report. Or you may request an application for your free credit report by mail from:
Annual Credit Report Request Service
PO Box 105281
Atlanta, GA 30348-5281
The Southern States join the Western and Midwest States in being eligible for their free annual credit report. On September 1, consumers in the Eastern States, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Territories become eligible.
The issue of ordering your credit report and monitoring your credit is especially important in light of the recent incidents of unauthorized access to databases containing sensitive consumer information. While these unfortunate crimes underscore the difficulty of defeating criminals intent on stealing your personal information, it also reminds all consumers to take steps to safeguard their credit as much as they are able.
At a minimum, consumers should check their report annually for inaccurate information and for unusual or unauthorized inquiries into their credit.
For consumers not eligible for their free credit report under FACTA, there are numerous alternatives to check their credit report online and by mail from Creditreporting.com. Choices include a free credit report offer, a credit monitoring service, and merged 3 bureau credit reports with credit scores that include information from the three national credit bureaus.
Contact: Charles R. Burnett
Evergreen Credit Reporting
info@creditreporting.com
Press Release
May 27th, 2005
To: National and Business Desks
Re: Credit Report Basics for College Students
College students, did you know that as many as 30 to 40 percent of employers run background checks on prospective employees? Many of these pre-employment background checks include credit reports. Employers may use a credit report to select against a job applicant with a poor credit report in favor of an equally qualified applicant with a good credit history. Your credit report may also affect your eligibility for loans and the interest rate you pay when you borrow money to purchase a new car or a house after graduation.
Bottomline, take the right courses for your major, learn the material, get the best grades you can, prepare your resume, and go after the career you want, but don’t ignore your credit during college. A good credit report with a high credit score can help you in lots of situations after graduation whether it is for an apartment rental, a new car loan, a house, or even a job.
Here are some hints to help your credit report and credit score:
- Pay your bills on time. Late payments (30 or more days late) that are reported to the credit bureaus may stay on your credit report up to seven years. Late payments lower your credit score. Paying your bills on time establishes a payment history necessary to get a good credit score.
- Use credit wisely. While it may be a good idea to establish credit accounts during college, it is certainly not a good idea to get so far into debt that you cannot keep up with the payment terms. Additionally, keeping low balances on your credit accounts can be a positive factor for your credit score.
- Establish credit as early as you can responsibly handle it. Your credit score normally requires at least two credit accounts with history to calculate a credit score, so having credit may be necessary to get more credit. Your credit score also factors in the length of your credit history, so the longer you have credit, the better your score may be.
- If you ever do have an account in collection (e.g. wrote an NSF check for pizza, didn’t pay some parking tickets, didn’t pay for a medical procedure not covered by insurance, had a landlord get a judgement against you for apartment damage or unpaid rent, etc.), pay the balance off. Some lenders will not even consider lending to applicants with unpaid collections. Plus paying collections off will help your score.
- If there is inaccurate derogatory credit information in your credit report, dispute it. Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, it is your right to dispute inaccurate information in your file. Getting inaccurate credit information corrected or deleted will help your credit score. Unfortunately there’s not much you can do legally about accurate derogatory information.
- If you do have “derogatory” credit information in your credit file, don’t despair. It falls off after 7 years. Plus older “bad credit” has a smaller negative affect on your credit score that new “bad credit.”
If you are eligible, get a free copy of your credit report at www.annual creditreport.com. For more information on credit reports, check out the articles and credit report offers at www.creditreporting.com
Contact: Charles R. Burnett
Evergreen Credit Reporting
Info@creditreporting.com
Press Release
March 14, 2005
To: National and Business Desks
RE: Free Credit Reports now available in the Midwest States
Pursuant to the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act (FACTA) passed by Congress in 2003, consumers in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin will be eligible for their free annual credit reports on March 1, 2005.
Consumers in those states may apply for their free reports online at www.annualcreditreport.com. The annualcreditreport web site is a joint venture of the three national credit bureaus Equifax, Experian, and Trans Union. The construction and design of the site were specified by FACTA and approved by the Federal Trade Commission.
For consumers without Internet access, they may call 1-877-322-8228 for their free report. Or you may request an application for your free credit report by mail from:
Annual Credit Report Request Service
PO Box 105281
Atlanta, GA 30348-5281
The Midwest States join the Western States in being eligible for their free annual credit report. On June 1, consumers in the Southern States become eligible, and on September 1 the rest of the country becomes eligible including Puerto Rico and the US Territories.
The issue of ordering your credit report and monitoring your credit is especially timely in light of the recent ChoicePoint incident where over 100,000 consumer records nationwide may have been accessed by criminals operating an identity theft ring for the past year. While this unfortunate crime underscores the difficulty of defeating criminals intent on stealing your personal information, it should also remind consumers to take steps to safeguard their credit as much as they are able.
At a minimum, consumers should check their report annually for inaccurate information and for unusual or unauthorized inquiries into their credit. It is recommended that consumers be proactive and check their credit reports biannually. Monitoring services offer frequent reviews of credit reports and helpful information about the credit report activity.
For consumers not eligible for their free credit report under FACTA, there are numerous alternatives to check their credit report online and by mail from Creditreporting.com. Choices include a free credit report offer, a credit report monitoring service, and merged 3 bureau credit reports with credit scores that include information from the three national credit bureaus.
Contact: Charles R. Burnett
Evergreen Credit Reporting
http://www.creditreporting.com
Info@creditreporting.com
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