Heritage Bank - Your Credit Report

While you can certainly purchase a copy of your credit report today, you may find you’re paying for more than you really need. Heritage Bank supports this federal initiative to allow free access to your credit report. The final FACT rules stipulate that the bureaus begin making these reports available in “waves” by region within the United States, beginning with the West on December 1, 2004. We will provide more information, as well as a link to that new site, as it becomes available.

The Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act (FACT Act) was signed into law in December 2003. The FACT Act, a revision of the Fair Credit Reporting Act, allows you to get one free copy of your credit report annually. The law requires that all of the national credit reporting agencies work with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to provide a single point of contact so you can get reports from all three national credit reporting agencies with a single telephone call or Internet request.

The three nationwide consumer reporting companies – Equifax, Experian and TransUnion – announced the following methods by which you can obtain your free credit report. Beginning December 1, 2004, consumers in 13 Western states will be able to begin making requests. Free annual reports will be phased in across the country from west to east over a nine-month period. Nebraskans will be eligible on March 1, 2005. To obtain your free credit report:

By Internet: www.annualcreditreport.com

By Phone: 877-332-8228

By Mail:
Send standardized form to:
Annual Credit Report Request Service
P.O. Box 105281
Atlanta, GA 30348-5281

To learn more about obtaining your credit report, and why it is important for consumers to monitor their credit history, and how to dispute any errors, click here.