Free Website Offers a Look at Credit Reports

Students need good credit to get a good rate on student loans or to pay for necessary expenses. Students can now check their credit report to see just what is going on with their credit.

The Annual Credit Report Web site was created so people can check their credit report safe and free. The site has three consumer reporting companies which are: Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. These companies will allow people to check their credit report once every 12 months.

"They can actually view their credit report for free," said Deborah Jacobberger, financial education counselor at the AAA Fair Credit Foundation.

"If they want to see their credit score, it costs $7-10."

The AAA Fair Credit Foundation is a non-profit organization that will help anyone with free financial education.

"Anyone can come here to ask for help," said Jacobberger. "We'll walk someone through a budget, [their] basic expenses, [their] debt and [help] them figure out how to pay it off the best way. We also counsel people on their credit."

Having a good credit report is really important when applying for future mortgage loans, car loans and/or applying for a credit card.

"Mortgage fraud is definitely high in Utah," said Jacobberger. "You have to be careful.

"It affects your day-to-day life [with inaccuracies on your credit report]."

Utah is ranked as the fourth largest state in the amount of debt per capita.

"Utah has a lot of bankruptcies," said Ann House, extension professor with Utah State University. "We have low income and an average to high-cost living. Our wages are very, very low."

House taught the IDA program class, a non-profit organization, to low-income families. She also stated that Utah is known for some of the biggest houses in the United States and the most cars per household.

The AAA Fair Credit Foundation works with other non-profit organizations from United Way to Utah Saves.

Sometimes there are inaccuracies on personal credit reports. Checking one's credit report is important to make sure everything is accurate.

"Someone [might] have a similar name, and identity theft is big now," said Jacobberger. "You just want to check it to see where you're at."

If there is an inaccuracy on your credit report, there are a few different ways of resolving them.

"You can write a dispute letter, either you can go to the Web site [Annual Credit Report] or you can actually write a dispute letter on your own," said Jacobberger. "In 30 days, they need to look into it and get back to you. The AAA Fair Credit Foundation has an example of a dispute letter on their Consumer Cent Web site.

"It's fairly common to see something incorrect on there," said Jacobberger. People write dispute letters frequently, according to Jacobberger, one out of three people will have something incorrect on their credit report.

To avoid inaccuracies and promote store credit, Jacobberger offered advice to students. People should avoid store credit cards, because they usually charges higher interest rates.

"My suggestion is that you want one or two [credit cards], said Jacobberger. "Make sure it has a low balance and you pay it off in full each month. " Make sure that charges and payments are reported on the credit bureau when paid in full each month.

"Find out when they report to the credit bureau and when they report when you pay it off," said Jacobberger. "That way, it doesn't just show a zero-zero balance."

Payment history is 35 percent of your credit score and 30 percent is based on different types of credit a person has. If a person can't get a credit card, they can go to their bank to get a secured credit card. A secured credit card is where a person puts money onto the card before hand.

"Your credit score can always improve," said Jacobberger.

Classes are available at the AAA Fair Credit Foundation once a month to people who want more knowledge about checking accounts, setting financial goals, identity theft and budgeting. Planning a brighter future is important.

"In the long run, [you] want to have a low debt to income ratio, you want to make payments on time and to really have two credit credits at the most," said Jacobberger. "Make sure you have enough money to live within your means."