| Out West? Get your free credit report
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| By Marshall Loeb, CBS.MarketWatch.com |
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NEW YORK (CBS.MW) - Starting Wednesday, U.S.
residents in select states can begin claiming one free credit report
per year under the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act.
The FACT Act has set up the Annual Credit Report Request Service, a
centralized service from the three major credit reporting agencies -
Equifax, Experian and Trans Union. Previously, consumers paid up to $9
for a credit report.
As of Wednesday, residents in 13 Western states can begin contacting
the service for a free credit report: Alaska, Arizona, California,
Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah,
Washington and Wyoming.
For a copy of your free credit report, call 1-877-322-8228 or visit www.annualcreditreport.com. Visit the site.
You can also send in a request by mail to: Annual Credit Report Request Service, P.O. Box 105281, Atlanta, GA 30348-5281.
To prevent overloading the new system, the Federal Trade Commission
will phase in the rest of the country through 2005, as follows:
March 1, 2005: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota,
Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota and Wisconsin.
June 1, 2005: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana,
Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas.
September 1, 2005: Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Maine,
Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North
Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia and West
Virginia.
Don't want to wait for your free credit report? Six states already
provide one free credit report per year to their residents. They are:
Colorado, Georgia, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey and Vermont.
To get a copy of your credit report before the FACT Act takes effect in
your state, contact one of the three credit agencies that collect
information on you and your personal financial actions.
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