Basic Information about Credit Reports and How to Order Your Report

• What is a Credit Report?
• How do I get my own Credit Report?

What is a Credit Report?

Ever wonder about credit reports?  You’ve likely heard friends talk about them, especially if they are buying cars or motorcycles on credit, or if they have tried to get a home mortgage.

Generally your credit report may include:

• Your Profile Information
• A summary of your credit payment history including information about your late payments on your personal credit card accounts, your loans, and other credit arrangements.
• Balances still owed on these credit accounts.
• Public Records such as court judgments, bankruptcies, and Electoral Roll information
• Information such as Aliases, Financial Associations, Linked Addresses
• CIFAS information, GAIN information (Gone Away Information Network)
• Also appearing on the report are “Enquiries,” which show the names of organisations that have viewed your credit report in the last 12 months. 

How do I get my own Credit Report?

Your credit report is available to prospective creditors with your permission. You can also order your credit report yourself just to see what’s on there!.  Ordering is easy! 

Clicking on “Order Now” you will have access to your credit report from Experian within seconds.

Ordering your own report is a good idea because:

• It helps you before you apply for credit, so you can see your payment history and loan balances and be prepared to answer any questions about your accounts.
• By reviewing your report, you can also determine if there are inaccuracies in your report that you should dispute so your credit report is accurate.
• It can help prevent identity theft if you notice items on your report that do not belong there such as incorrect addresses, credit accounts you did not open, or enquiries on your report that you did not authorize.

Questions?

Q:        Why is a credit report important?
A:         Your credit report is a important because it is used by creditors to determine your credit worthiness and is very important when it comes time to borrow money or enter into a credit relationship.