How To Get Your Credit Report The Right Way

Usually, for your first consultation with a bankruptcy lawyer, you will be asked to go online and get a copy of your credit report (or your attorney will arrange to get one for you).  Under federal law, you are entitled to one free credit report per year.  But be careful!  Do not be fooled into going to a site that says it is free and then has a hidden fee or asks you to sign on to a credit monitoring service for which you are going to pay.  Instead, go to annualcreditreport.com which will give you, without cost or obligation, a copy of your credit report from all three national credit reporting bureaus, Transunion, Equifax and Experian.  There will be a section on that web site that asks you if you would like to pay to get your credit score and the answer is no — your bankruptcy attorney does not need that number so don’t shell out any money for it.  The credit report will give you a rundown of everything you owe, every credit card, every mortgage, every student loan, etc.  The report will also show if you have any judgments or liens filed against you.  So the information is very important for both you and your attorney.  Also, if there is any information on your credit report that is incorrect or in dispute, the website provides clear instructions for how to go about fixing it.