†Unless you call to cancel your membership within the 30 day trial period, you will
be billed $14.99 per month that you continue your membership. You can call to cancel
your membership at any time.
*Insurance underwritten by National Union Fire Insurance Company of Pittsburgh, Pa. The description herein is a summary only. It does not include all terms, conditions and exclusions of the policies described. Please refer to the actual policies for complete details of coverage and exclusions. Coverage may not be available in all jurisdictions and is subject to actual policy language. Coverage is not available to the residents of the State of New York.
Credit reports and scores based on data from Equifax®, Experian® and TransUnion®.
Brand comparison information was obtained from Freecreditreport.com and Creditreport.com in May 2009
Intersections© and Identity Guard® are trademarks or federally registered trademarks of Intersections Inc. Equifax® is a registered trademark of Equifax, Inc; and other trademarks are trademarks of their respective owners.
How your Credit File and History Looks to the World
Your credit report is something you absolutely need to check. Discrepancies in your credit file can affect everything from your ability to buy a home to your potential to receive job offers. In the United States, the Fair Credit Reporting Act entitles every taxpayer to one free personal credit report every 12 months from each of the three credit reporting agencies, Equifax®, Experian® and TransUnion®. However, simply requesting your free report is not enough; we recommend active credit monitoring and provide a comprehensive credit management solution. Knowing your credit rating is extremely important. But your credit report can change in an instant. For many people, the limited number of free credit reports to which you're entitled is just not enough.
IDENTITY GUARD®, the leader in credit management services is committed to helping consumers understand and protect their credit. Our Total Protection service monitors all three major credit reporting agencies, Equifax®, Experian® and TransUnion®, to alert you promptly to potentially suspicious changes to your credit files minimizing the risk of damages and to keep you apprised of your credit score. It's a 3-3-3 credit profile, 3 credit reports, 3 credit scores, 3-bureau monitoring. Plus, with Total Protection, you get daily surveillance of the Internet's "financial black markets", "back alley" chat rooms and news groups. Patented scanning technology helps ensure that your important financial information is not being compromised or "swapped" in sites frequented by identity thieves.
How to Read Your Credit Report
For most people, a credit report will be full of unfamiliar terms and concepts. Understanding what a credit report says and how a mortgage lender or a potential employer might interpret it is critical to your being able to present your credit history in its best light, address any discrepancies or inaccuracies and if you've legitimately had a credit problem, begin your task of understanding your credit status. Each of the three credit reporting agencies, Equifax®, Experian® and TransUnion®, has an individualized format for presenting your free credit report. But regardless of presentation, all reports generally contain records of bankruptcies, tax liens and monetary judgments against you (available from public sources),information about all your accounts, including loan amounts, current balance and payment pattern over the past several years. The names of companies that have obtained a copy of your credit report. Your name, current and previous addresses, phone number, Social Security number, date of birth and current and previous employers and disputes between you and your creditors. The credit report will show both the creditor's statement of the account as well as your own. The most important thing to look for in reviewing your credit report is accuracy, everything from account names and numbers to amounts paid and owed as well as any other information. Even if the inaccuracy is seemingly innocuous and occurs within an account in good standing, it needs to be addressed. For example, if your credit limit is incorrectly stated to be lower than it actually is, it will appear that you are using a higher percentage of your total borrowing capacity. This could negatively affect your credit score. Knowing how to read your credit report is critical to understanding your credit score rating. But credit reports can be notoriously difficult for most people to understand. That's why many people interested in protecting their credit rating look for help.
How to Dispute and Correct an Inaccuracy
It's unfortunate, but it happens credit reports may contain inaccuracies. And, even a seemingly harmless error can have a negative impact on your credit rating. So what's to be done? Federal law allows consumers to challenge credit report inaccuracies and correct their credit files. The major credit bureaus, Equifax®, Experian® and TransUnion® allow consumers to dispute incorrect data. There is no fee for filing a dispute. The fastest way to initiate the dispute process is to file your dispute online; each of the major credit reporting companies provides a web-based form for this purpose. You may also file your dispute directly with the creditor. A credit report discrepancy can be alarming, frightening and highly detrimental. Allowed to linger unchallenged, it can have a devastating effect on your credit rating for years even after the original mistake is corrected. All of which is why many people choose to have their credit rating professionally monitored on an ongoing basis rather than depend on remembering to order periodic free credit reports.
3-in-1 Credit Report
With our 3-in-1 Credit Report you get unlimited online access to a consolidated report of your credit history with side-by-side data compiled from the top 3 credit reporting agencies, Equifax®, Experian®, and TransUnion®. This gives you a comprehensive view of your credit reporting history, and also makes it easier for you to verify the accuracy of the information at each credit reporting agency.
