Credit Reporting

Your credit report is a comprehensive record of your credit history. It may include the date credit accounts were opened, the amount, the balance owed, status of the account, your payment pattern and the date of the last activity, as well as public records, such as whether you have been sued, been subject to a tax lien, or filed for bankruptcy.

Creditors regularly report this information to credit bureaus. If you have defaulted on a loan, that information may remain on your credit report for up to seven years. A bankruptcy may remain on your report for 10 years. You should check your credit report at least once a year, or before making any major purchases which require financing. Once you receive your credit report, check to see that all information is accurate and that no one is using your name and credit for fraudulent purposes. If you find any information that is inaccurate or obsolete, you have the right to have that information corrected or removed.

You may obtain a copy of your credit report for free. Everyone is allowed one free credit report per year from each of the three major credit bureaus. To learn how to obtain your free annual credit report under Federal law, please visit www.annualcreditreport.com.

Here is the contact information for the three major credit reporting bureaus:

• TransUnion: 1-800-680-7289, www.transunion.com; P.O. Box 6790, Fullerton, CA 92834-6790
•  Experian: 1-888-397-3742, www.experian.com; P.O. Box 9532, Allen, TX 75013
•  Equifax: 1-800-525-6285, www.equifax.com; P.O. Box 740241, Atlanta, GA 30374-0241

When it comes to your credit, we’ve got your back, Arkansas.