The 3 Major Credit Bureaus - Credit Reports, Education, and Safety

The 3 Major Credit Bureaus - the Place to Start for Your Credit Education

T he 3 major credit bureaus can have a huge impact on the quality of our lives ... more explicitly, the 3 bureau credit report that is kept on file at these credit bureaus will determine how convenient or inconvenient our lives become.

As you may well know, whenever we shop for big ticket items such as cars, homes, boats, appliances, TVs and computers etc., not too many of us have the cash available to make those purchases with. Most of us need to purchase those items on credit.

When we walk into a car dealership for instance looking to purchase a car, the salesperson will collect our pertinent information such as name, address, driver's license number, Social Security Number etc and will run a check on our credit.

Depending on what is in our file with the 3 major credit bureaus will result in one of three scenarios:

1) the salesperson will regretfully inform you that she cannot extend you credit at this time due to an unfavorable credit report at the 3 major credit bureaus.

2) the salesperson will inform you that she can extend credit to you but that due to a less than favorable 3 bureau credit report on file at the 3 major credit bureaus, the interest rate will have to be raised. This will of course increase the amount of your monthly payments.

3) the salesperson will happily inform you that your 3 bureau credit report at the 3 major credit bureaus is great and not only can she extend you credit but you will receive the favorable interest rate as well.

Provides You with More than Just Your 3 Bureau Credit Report

In addition to keeping your 3 bureau credit report on file at all times and for all your creditors to see, the 3 major credit bureaus also provide you with services and products that help you to protect your self against fraud and identity theft and also educate you on the wise use of your credit.

Since the 3 bureau credit report and credit score that the 3 major credit bureaus keep on you can have such an impact on your life, here is some information on all three listed in alphabetical order. At the bottom of this page you will find links to all 3 major credit bureaus.

Equifax

Equifax provides products and services that help protect you from identity theft, helps you to check and manage your credit, and helps you prepare yourself to make a major purchase.

In addition, Equifax provides you with tools for checking a property's value, credit ranking, and the most up to date business solutions for B2B and B2C for example.

Equifax also provides news featuring articles on such topics as keeping your small business from being ripped off, the dangers of email phishing and how to keep your identity from being stolen.

You can also get a 3 bureau credit report at Equifax

p.s. Although all 3 keep track of your credit report, I feel Equifax is the best as far as services offered to the consumer!

TO CALL
For general concerns, call 1-800-685-1111
To report or investigate fraud, call 1-800-525-6285

TO WRITE
To send snail mail correspondence, write to
PO Box 740241, Atlanta, GA 30374

Experian

Experian also provides services and products to help you protect yourself against fraud, get your 3 credit bureau reports, to check the history of a vehicle and to educate yourself on the various identity theft scams going on out there.

TO CALL
For general concerns, or to report or investigate fraud, call
1-888-397-3742

TO WRITE
To send snail mail correspondence, write to
PO Box 2002, Allen, TX 75013

Transunion

Transunion, like the previous two, provides products and services to help you monitor your credit and educate you on fraud protection measures. Transunion also provides a newsletter that gives you info on the latest credit tips, preventing fraud and reviving your credit if you ever find yourself the victim of credit fraud or identity theft.

TO CALL
For general concerns, call 1-800-888-4213
To report or investigate fraud, call 1-800-680-7289

TO WRITE

To send snail mail correspondence, write to
PO Box 2000, Chester, PA 19022

To visit the sites of these 3 major credit bureaus, click on one of the links below:

1) Equifax - www.equifax.com
2) Experian – www.experian.com
3) TransUnion – www.transunion.com

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