The three largest companies to collect and disseminate credit information for millions of Americans – Experian, Equifax and TransUnion – must significantly change the way they treat disputed information on credit reports as part of a massive multi-state settlement announced this week. [More]
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Nearly 26 Million American Adults Have No Credit History
By 5.5.15
While a recent survey found that nearly 35% of consumers have never pulled their credit report, a new report from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau points out that some of those consumer might not have anything on their reports anyway. [More]
Nearly 35% Of Consumers Have Never Checked Their Credit Reports
By 5.4.15
While consumers are often urged to take advantage of the free once-a-year opportunity to request a credit report and make sure they aren’t riddled with errors, a new survey suggests many Americans simply aren’t heeding the suggestion. [More]
FICO Expands Program To Give Millions Of Consumers Free Access To Credit Scores & Reports
By 4.21.15
Millions of financially struggling consumers who work with qualified nonprofit counseling agencies now have access to free credit scores and credit reports with the expansion of the FICO Score Open Access program. [More]
Credit Bureaus Agree To Revamp Practices For Handling Errors, Unpaid Medical Bills
By 3.9.15
Experian, Equifax and TransUnion – the three largest companies to collect and disseminate credit information for millions of Americans – must undergo an overhaul of credit reporting practices as part of an agreement with the New York Attorney General’s Office. [More]
Man Named God Suing Equifax For Refusing To Believe He (And His Financial History) Exists
By 4.14.14
As if it’s not hard enough to go through life explaining why you share a name with a divine entity, a man called God is now suing credit-reporting agency Equifax claiming it refused to accept his name as a legitimate moniker. Basically, he’s trying to prove he exists. And along with that, of course, his credit history is also a real thing. [More]
Dear Equifax And Heartland Bank, I Am Not Dead
By 2.10.14
A 46-year-old woman near St. Louis would like to to refinance her mortgage and maybe get some new credit cards. She can’t, though. As far as her bank and the credit bureau Equifax are concerned, she’s dead. [More]
Data Miners Collect More Of Your Information Every Day; Good Luck Finding Out What They Know
By 12.23.13
Every time you use the internet, you leave a huge trail of information in your wake–and it’s not just your browser history full of cat videos. Companies called data brokers are constantly collecting a thousand little nuggets of information behind you, adding them up into a profile of you, and selling the profiles for lots of money. Data brokers still move in mysterious ways, leaving unanswered questions: how are they getting their data? Who’s buying it? And, perhaps most importantly: can you, the consumer, do anything about it? [More]
How To Not Suck… At Disputing Credit Report Errors
By 12.3.13
Like it or hate it, your credit report and credit score have lots of power. These may determine whether or not you’re approved for a mortgage, car loan, or other borrowing, and will determine the interest rates on your credit cards. This information is often even used when you’re evaluated for an apartment, insurance or a job, or try to get a bank account. That’s why it’s incredibly important to check your credit report for errors, as mistakes on your report can haunt every part of your financial life for years. [More]
Man Tries To Buy House, Finds Out He’s Dead & Married To A Woman He Never Met
By 10.17.13
We always recommend that you take advantage of your right to check your three credit reports once a year just because you never know what you might find. Like the California man who learned from Equifax that he’s been dead for a few years and also that he had a widow living 20 miles away. [More]
Companies That Furnish Info For Credit Reports Are Obligated To Investigate Disputes
By 9.9.13
More than 1-in-4 credit reports contain some sort of error, according to a recent Federal Trade Commission report, but one can’t lay all the blame at the feet of the three major credit bureaus — Experian, TransUnion, Equifax — as the companies that supply this information are not always fulfilling their legal obligation to investigate disputes by consumers. [More]
Jury Awards Woman $18.6 Million In Battle With Equifax Over Credit Report Errors
By 7.29.13
There’s major consumer victory news from Oregon: a woman who discovered huge errors in her Equifax credit report and couldn’t get them fixed was awarded a total of $18.6 million in damages. She contacted Equifax eight times about the errors between 2009 and 2011, but they remained on her report. [More]
Worst Company In America Round 1: Ticketmaster Vs. Equifax
March 26, 2013
It’s another glorious day of carnage in the WCIA mosh pit, as a perennial Golden Poo also-ran takes on an unseasoned newbie in a battle to the last breath. [More]
Bill Would Allow Consumers To Get Free Credit Score When Receiving Free Credit Reports
By 3.6.13
Right now, U.S. consumers can check each of their three credit reports — from TransUnion, Equifax, and Experian — once a year for free through AnnualCreditReport.com, but getting your actual credit score will probably cost you. Legislation introduced today seeks to remedy this issue. [More]
This Valentine’s Day, Tell Congress You’d Really Love Access To A Free, Reliable Credit Score
By 2.13.13
While the three major credit bureaus each allow you to access your credit report once a year at no charge through annualcreditreport.com, getting your actual credit score will likely cost you some money. [More]
Study: Errors Found In As Many As 26% Of Consumers’ Credit Reports
By 2.11.13
You should really check your credit reports at least once a year. If you don’t believe us, you should check out the results of the Federal Trade Commission’s latest study, which shows just how rife with errors the reports from Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion can be. [More]
Mortgage Lenders Have Easy, Ongoing Access To Your Info In Equifax’s Scary-Huge Database
By 2.7.13
Much of the controversy surrounding The Work Number, Equifax’s employment-verification database that contains sensitive information on salaries for around 1/3 of the U.S. workforce, has dealt with debt collectors’ access to the data. But lenders can get at your reports just by claiming they have your permission. [More]
Lawmakers Call On Equifax To Prove That Scary-Huge Employment-Info Database Is Legal
By 2.6.13
Following recent reports on The Work Number, a mammoth employment-verification database operated by credit reporting agency Equifax, a group of seven U.S. Congresspersons have written the company’s CEO asking for more information about the legality of the service. [More]
