In the United States, the Federal Government plays a key role in providing its citizens with free credit reports on the Internet.
The Federal Government does so through the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and its website (www.
AnnualCreditReport.
com).
The difference between this website and other sites that offer free credit checks is that it does not require you to enter a credit card number, which can lead to identity theft.
As with other credit check websites, requesting a credit report will require you to provide your name, your address, your social security number and your date of birth.
The FTC has also put up hotlines where people can request for their credit reports through the phone or by mail.
The credit reports that will be provided by the FTC will also contain the four types of information (identifying, credit record, public record, and new debt), and your credit score that can be found on the credit reports of other websites.
Another feature of this service is that you can request for credit reports on a quarterly basis, which will enable you to monitor your credit reports and correct any wrong information that will be placed there without having to wait for an annual credit report.
This will also ensure that your creditors will be provided with the accurate information as to your credit worthiness.
Although the free credit reports are not widely available to all residents of the United States, a system has been put in place to ensure access to most Americans in the near future.
Given that the Federal Government has joined the effort in providing people with free credit reports, it can be expected that loans will be processed more easily because important information such as your accurate credit score will be readily available.