Free Credit Report and MORE
You probably already know about being able to get your credit report for free from www.annualcreditreport.com. This is mandated by the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act (FACTA) enacted in 2003. You now have the right to receive a copy of your credit report from each of the three major reporting agencies one time each year for free. There is a lot of information in your report and it is very possible that some of it is incorrect, which could be impairing your ability to acquire credit, or it could be causing the rates on the credit you are able to acquire to be higher than it should be. Your credit report is not the only part of the proverbial permanent record your parents always told you about.
There are additional databases that you should check to verify they contain the correct information:
The C.L.U.E. Personal Property report provides a seven year history of losses associated with an individual and his/her personal property. The C.L.U.E. Auto report provides a seven year history of automobile insurance losses associated with an individual. Each report offers you detailed insurance loss information including:
- Insurance Company
- Address
- Policy Number
- Policy Type
- Loss Date
- Loss Type
- Amount Paid
- Loss Status
With the service, you will also receive:
- a list or record of companies that have inquired about your loss history in the last two (2) years
- 30-day online access to your report
- information on how to dispute your information if it is incorrect or incomplete
The Automated Property Loss Underwriting System (A-PLUS) also contains information on property loss claims, however, the database is much smaller than the CLUE system. You can request a free copy of your report by phone or by mail. The information is on their web site.
Employment History Report
The ChoicePoint Workplace Solutions Inc. Employment History report contains information related to your employment history as well as other information regarding your background. […] Our files would only contain information on you if ChoicePoint provided your Employment History Report to an employer.
Tenant History Report
If you are a renter, you will definitely be interested in this report.
The Resident Data Inc. Tenant History report contains information related to your tenant history as well as other information regarding your background. […] Our files would only contain information on you if ChoicePoint provided your Tenant History Report to a housing provider.
Another tenant-tracking agency called First Advantage SafeRent offers free annual reports on a conditional basis.
Medical Claims Report
MIB Group, Inc. is recognized as a specialty consumer reporting agency. They track medical claims information.
MIB has been in continuous operation for over 105 years pursuing its primary mission of detecting and deterring fraud that may occur in the course of obtaining life, health, disability income, critical illness, and long-term care insurance.
You can receive a free copy of the information their database contains on your medical claims once every 12 months.
Returned Check Information
FirstData maintains a database of returned check transactions. Although their web site does not appear to list any information on receiving a free copy of their report, the buzz around the Internet is that they do offer such a report. Contact them by phone for more information.
You can also call 1-877-322-8228 to order your free credit report. Remember…this is a once a year, per credit reporting agency deal. Spread them out and you will be able to check your credit report all year long.
[...] your credit report. I blogged about how you can do that for free. It is important to know what is on your report, and to clear up any negative or incorrect items as [...]