Your Free Credit Report from each of three credit reporting bureaus is available every year and a valuable tool for homeowners and borrowers.

Through our journey of life, we rarely sit back and evaluate the things that could be affecting us. As consumers, it is essential that we become aware of the information being placed on our credit reports. By staying informed about our credit, we are able to monitor and protect ourselves from errors and fraud, which can adversely affect your credit rating.

Under recent amendment to the Federal Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) and the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions (FACT Act), each of the nationwide consumer reporting companies are required to provide you with a free copy of your credit report, at your request, once every 12 months, without adding an inquiry to your credit report. The FCRA promotes the accuracy and privacy of information in the files of the nation's consumer reporting companies. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the nation's consumer protection agency, enforces the FCRA with respect, to consumer reporting companies.

You might be thinking, "Why would I want to get a copy of my credit report?" There are several very important reasons you may want to review your credit report.

• Because the information it contains affects whether you can get a loan and how much you have to pay to borrow money.
• To make sure the information is accurate, complete, and up to date before applying for a loan for a major purchase, such as a house or car, buying insurance, or applying for a job.
• To help guard against identity theft. That's when someone uses your personal information - like your name, your Social Security number, or your credit card number - to commit fraud. Identity thieves may use your information to open a new credit card account in your name. Then, when they don't pay the bills, the delinquent account is reported on your credit report. Inaccurate information like that could affect your ability to get credit, insurance, or even a job.

In order to request a copy of your free credit report, you will need to provide your full name, address, social security number, date of birth, and addresses for the past two years. You now have the option to request a copy of your credit report in one of the following three ways.

• A secure online website, http://www.annualcreditreport.com/, is very thorough and user friendly, providing you with immediate access to viewing your report. You also have the option of allowing only the last four digits of your social security number to appear when your view or print your report. Please note, this site is the only service authorized by TransUnion, Equifax, and Experian for this purpose.
• By telephone, call 1-877-322-8228 for a copy to be mailed to you with 15 days of your request.
• Or mail your request to: Annual Credit Report Request Service, P.O. Box 105281, Atlanta, GA 30348-5281, and a copy will be mailed to you within 15 days of receiving your request.

You will have the opportunity to request a report from each bureau - TransUnion, Equifax, and Experian - one time per year, either all at once or each bureau individually. The benefit to requesting all 3 bureaus at once is that you can compare them. The advantage to pulling 1 bureau at a time, is that you can better keep track of changes or new information on your report. Your free credit report gives you access to your credit information for the purpose of tracking the accuracy of the data. When ordering, you also have the option of purchasing your credit score, if you desire.

Call us today at 248 642 4600 if you have any questions regarding this opportunity. Email Perri Cauley at perri@mrploan.com or email Michael Cauley at advisor@mrploan.com.