Time to Check Your Credit Report

1st United Credit Union reminds members that it’s time to check your credit reports. Regular review helps to catch discrepancies and reveal a possible identity theft situation before it escalates. The sooner you can find and correct errors, the healthier your credit could be.

“Monitoring a credit report is like a health checkup – but for your finances. Consumers thinking about applying for loans should check their credit far in advance of submitting an application,” commented Tosha Eagles-Williams, Chief Lending Officer at 1st United Credit Union. “This gives a consumer a better chance of correcting any errors early.”

Accessing a credit report is free and easy to do and checking it does not impact your credit score. That’s because Federal Law requires each of the three nationwide credit reporting agencies to provide consumers with a free credit report every 12 months, if they request it.

Operated jointly by the three major credit bureaus, annualcreditreport.com is the website recommended by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) as the only authorized website for free credit reports. But consumers don’t need to order reports from all three agencies at the same time. We recommend spreading them out so you can spot changes or discrepancies throughout the year. For example, check Experian now, Equifax in May, and Transunion in September.