Get your credit report annually for free

The Fair and Accurate Credit Transaction Act (known as the FACT Act) was signed into law by President Bush in 2003. It requires that the three national credit reporting agencies (Transunion, Equifax, and Experian) provide a free credit report to consumers upon request. You can do this by using the established website https://www.annualcreditreport.com, or by calling toll free 1-877-322-8228, or by writing Annual Credit Report Request Service, PO Box 105281, Atlanta, GA 30348-5281. We encourage you to request your free credit report annually to monitor it for accuracy and notify the credit reporting agency if any errors are identified.

The FACT Act also requires the national credit reporting agencies to allow consumers to "opt-out" of receiving prescreen solicitation for credit. Briefly, this will greatly reduce the number of credit card solicitations you receive in the mail. Major credit card companies purchase lists of consumers that meet certain criteria (hence the term "prescreened"). In turn, they use these lists to send out mass mailings soliciting customers to open credit cards. You can elect to "opt-out" by using the established website https://www.optoutprescreen.com, or by calling toll free 888-567-8688.

How does monitoring my credit help protect my identity?

Monitoring your credit report is a good way to spot signs of identity theft, such as errors and suspicious activity and accounts or addresses you don't recognize.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's website provides additional information on monitoring your credit report.