Fixing Your Credit Report -a Helpful Guide for Single Moms
Contributed by Lisa Marie
A single mom with errors on your credit report- Don't feel hopeless, help is on the way!
For single moms, life can be incredibly overwhelming on a day to day basis, never mind if you find out that there are errors on your credit report. Let's face it, without good credit, you're not going to get very far in the world today. you need credit for everything from finding a place to live, to getting your car repaired. you even need good credit to get a good job.
Errors on credit reports have been around as long as there have been computers. A lot of them are simple oversights, while others are just carelessness on the part of your creditors.
First, you need to get copies of your credit reports. There are three major credit bureaus- all with websites for easy access - Experian, Trans Union and Equifax. Simply access a search engine and type in each of the credit bureau's names (individual searches, please), and simply click the link to their site. Sounds easy enough, right? Well, there are a few things you should know.
The credit bureaus will charge you a fee for their services, unless you either live in a state which has a law mandating a free annual credit report (like Massachusetts), or you have been denied credit by someone. Each of the sites for the bureaus' have links for the states that allow one free report a year. If you have been denied credit, the laws state that you must be given, in writing, the reason(s) for the denied credit.
On the letter which you receive, it will say something like "Based on information obtained from the following credit bureau(s)". When you receive such a letter, pay careful attention to customer numbers and such, as you will need them to get your free credit report.
