Credit Bureaus

A credit bureau is a clearinghouse for credit history information. Credit grantors provide the bureau with factual information on how their credit customers pay their bills. The bureau assembles this information, along with public record information obtained from courthouses around the country, into a file on each consumer. In return, credit grantors can purchase credit reports about consumers who wish to open accounts with them.

You are entitled to a free copy of your credit report if you have been denied credit because of information in your credit file. You must request your free copy within 60 days of being denied credit. Additionally, some states require the credit bureaus to provide consumers with a free copy of their credit report yearly. Ohio, however, is not one of these states, and Ohioans usually must pay a fee to receive a copy of their reports.

Here are the major credit bureaus:

Equifax Credit Infomation Services, Inc.

https://www.econsumer.equifax.com/consumer/landing.ehtml?start=&

P.O. Box 740241

Atlanta, GA 30374

1-800-685-1111 to order your credit report by phone

1-888-766-0008 to place a fraud alert on your credit report

Experian

http://www.experian.com/

P.O. Box 2002

Allen, TX 75013

1-888-397-3742 for all services

TransUnion

http://www.transunion.com/index.jsp

P.O. Box 2000

Chester, PA 19022

1-800-888-4213 to order your credit report by phone

1-800-916-8800 to dispute items on your credit report