Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA),
you are entitled to a free credit report every 12 months (or annually)
from each of the Nationwide Consumer Reporting agencies (Equifax,
Experian, and TransUnion).
This means that you can obtain up to three
credit reports a year, if you find it necessary. If you want, you can
order them all at the same time, or at different times during the year.
Your Equifax credit score will come from one of
these three companies. To get your report just click here - Get Your Equifax
Credit Report Now! 
Each reporting agency has a particular way
of formatting your credit report, but they all basically carry the same
information. When you get your Equifax credit score you can use the
following guidelines to help you read your report:
1. Personal Information Section
The information listed in this section
includes: name, Social Security Number, birth date, former names, death
notice information, current address, previous addresses, any other
identifications, current employer, and previous employers. You will
also have fraud alerts if there are any in this section.
2. Account Summary
In this section, you will find a list of all
of your credit accounts. In addition, there will be information about
each account, such as: account type, number, date the account was
opened, balance, past due amount if any, account status, and credit
limit.
3. Inquiries
This section has two sub-sections: inquiries
shown to companies (that could affect your credit score) and inquiries
not shown to companies (that don’t affect your credit score).
The first section is inquiries that lending companies make to determine
if you are a credit-worthy borrower. These shouldn’t make too
much of an impact on your Equifax credit score. The other type of
inquiry does not harm your credit score because they are for
pre-approved credit lines, insurance, or account reviews. In both
sections, the name of the company and the date will be listed.
4. Collections
If you have any accounts that have been sent
to collections, this is where they will be listed. In addition, you
will find the creditor’s information, what type of account,
account number, original amount borrowed, dates of delinquency, etc.
5. Public Record
In this section, you will find bankruptcies,
liens, or judgments from federal, state, or county courts. Each public
record will also be documented with the type of record, case number,
and any other important information.
Hopefully, you have found this information
useful as you read your Equifax credit score. Get Your Equifax
Credit Report Now!