Many people pay monthly fees for credit monitoring services without realizing they already own a free federal right.
The Federal Trade Commission identifies AnnualCreditReport.com as the single authorized source for free credit reports. Federal policy guarantees free weekly access to your reports from Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. Any other site claiming to offer free reports is usually selling commercial products.
Your free credit report contains your full credit file history. Note that it does not automatically include a credit score. Checking your file regularly helps you catch errors and unauthorized accounts before they cause harm.
Pulling your file takes five minutes at your desk on a quiet morning.
What was on your report that you did not expect?
