By Frank Froggatt

There are many ways to get your credit report. Some are more convenient than others, but it is important to check your credit report at least once a year. Although there are many sites offering credit reports for free, they generally will provide the report for only a limited amount of time. If you are interested in having unlimited access to your report any time day or night, you can purchased a subscription that will allow you to do just that.

Services that require a monthly membership fee may offer more that just a simple credit report. The number of bells and whistles the provider offers will determine the amount of your monthly fee. Many sites offer email notification of any activity on your credit report. This can be a great feature considering that identity theft is on the rise. It will allow you to monitor any new credit activity to make sure you are always aware of what is going on.

It is vitally import in to check your credit report periodically and you really need to start taking it seriously. When you review your credit report on a yearly basis you are able to see whether or not the activity that has happened on it was authorized by you. If you come across activity that wasn't authorized by you and then you can move forward with steps to get those problems corrected. If you never ever monitor your credit report it can have devastating consequences, especially if you ever become a victim of identity theft. You don't ever want to find yourself in a position where you are a victim of identity theft because in some cases depending on the severity, it can take many years to rectify the problem.

In most instances, your bank or credit union can provide you with a credit report for free. Most banks or credit unions so will provide you with one credit report each year absolutely free of charge. If however you are ever needing to apply for a loan, or have applied for a loan, then your bank will provide you with a copy of your credit report then as well. Some financial institutions might not provide the service, so you need to check with them to find out what the policy is on it.

If you ever apply for a service like a credit card and are denied because of your credit score, you then become entitled to a free copy of your credit report from the company which denied you. When you are denied, the company that has to send you a letter explaining to you why you were denied in providing you with the opportunity to get that free copy of your credit report. You will normally have to make the request for your report and writing but the instructions on how to do this are included with the letter.

Make sure to keep track of your credit score and check your report regularly. No one else will be checking your report for you and you will be required to make a specific request to see it. Although there are many different ways to get your report, the immediate and most convenient are generally the most expensive. However, as long as you continue to review your history, you are far less likely to be one of the many victims of identity theft.

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