At The Money Company®, we hope you enjoy all of the FREE information provided on our web-site. If you ever know of anyone that needs a home loan, would you please take the time to send them our direction. We promise to take good care of them.

Getting a FREE copy of your credit report has never been easier. You will want to go to www.annualcreditreport.com and request a copy of your credit report. If you want information from all three credit bureaus you will have to submit a separate request to all three credit bureaus. The names of the three major credit bureaus are Transunion, Equifax, and Experian. One good feature about using www.annualcreditreport.com is the request will not count as a hard inquiry on your credit report.  You are allowed to get one FREE report every 12 months. Also keep in mind, if you want an actual score, you must pay an additional $5 to $10 to each bureau to include a score.  It's a good idea to pay a little extra, and find out your scores.

If you want to monitor your credit scores on a monthly basis...we suggest you use a company called www.privacyguard.com. There is a cost associated to this program, but they seem to be a trustworthy, and dependable company.

The information in your credit report has a huge impact on whether or not you qualify for a mortgage loan and what interest rate a lender will offer. Therefore, it’s important your credit report reflects a positive image of the way you manage your money. If you're getting ready to buy a home, checking your credit report is the best way to ensure you get the loan and interest rate you deserve.

Another way to get a copy of your report is to contact each Credit Bureau directly – Equifax www.equifax.com, Experian www.experian.com and TransUnion www.transunion.com - and request a copy from each. That’s because the three agencies are independent of each other and the information may differ on all three reports. In addition, you may not know which agency your lender will use to check your credit, so it’s best to verify that all three have correct information about your credit history.

If you've been denied credit, insurance, or employment because of information in your credit report from any of the three agencies, you can obtain a free credit report by contacting the agency within 60 days of receiving a denial notice. In addition, you're entitled to a free copy of your report each year when you certify in writing that (1) you're unemployed and looking for a job within 60 days, (2) you're currently on welfare, or (3) your report contains errors due to fraud. Otherwise, the agencies charge a fee for a copy of your report.

For additional fees, each agency may offer you different report variations, such as:

• A credit report with or without your credit score.
• A three-in-one credit report that lets you see a side-by-side comparison of records, from all three agencies, with or without scores.
• Notification services when your credit history is requested.
• Routine notification changes to your file.
• Subscriptions that allow you to access your report on a regular basis.

Whether you are thinking of buying a home or simply curious about what’s in your credit report,  it’s important to correct any errors you discover as soon as possible.  You don’t want errors in your credit report  affecting your eligibility for credit in the future.