Anyone who wishes to apply for a credit card, mortgage loan, car loan or debt consolidation loan needs to be familiar with his/her credit report and the information contained inside. So, just what is included in a credit report? The answer is an entire listing of an individuals payment history for the past 7 years, current debt load and any public record information, such as judgements, bankruptcy and/or foreclosures. These factors, along with a debt to income ratio, combine to create a FICO score. This is a number that potential lenders use to calculate the interest rate that will be paid during the life of the loan, which is usually determined by any determinable credit risk.

Most consumers are surprised to learn that they are permitted to request a free copy of their credit report, every 12 months, from each of the three major credit reporting agencies. These include Experian, TransUnion and Equifax. These are the three agencies that respond to credit report requests from banks and other potential lenders. They supply the credit report, which is used to determine whether or not a loan is approved, the amount of any loan granted and an interest rate. While the credit reporting agencies are not involved in the actual credit decision, they are the ones who provide the information that leads to that decision.

These days, many businesses promise to provide a free credit report, but there is almost always a subscription requirement or paid service that must be honored before the individual can receive their free credit report. One website, however, is much different. Once every 12 months, consumers may visit http://www.AnnualCreditReport.com and request instant online access to their free credit report from each of the three previously mentioned credit reporting agencies.

Upon viewing each credit report, which may be slightly different from each of the reporting agencies, individuals will be able to review every entry and confirm their accuracy. If anything is determined to be incorrect, including an account balance, status or payment history, the consumer has a right to dispute that information with the credit reporting agency directly. At the time that a dispute is lodged, the agency will launch an investigation to determine whether or not the entry needs correcting.

At any time during the year, if an applicant is denied credit, he/she has a right to receive a free copy of the credit report from the agency who supplied the information to the denying lender. The lender must supply the name, address and telephone number of the credit reporting agency that supplied the applicants credit report. Within 60 days of the notice of denial for credit, the applicant may request a free copy of his/her credit report. A final consideration recommended to all consumers is that, in order to prevent identity theft or any type of fraud, a credit report should be monitored every six months.