In the United States there are three major credit bureaus. Those bureaus are Equifax, Experian and Transunion. The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) has stipulated that all of the three major credit bureaus must provide each and every consumer with one free copy of their credit report each year. The only thing a person has to do to obtain his/her yearly copy of his/her credit report is request it from all of the three major credit bureaus. This request can be made by accessing the official website. If someone does not have internet access then they can fax a request or mail one. For consumers there is not much more that is important as their credit scores. Credit is something that is not only desirable to have in this modern world but also necessary.
The only way to know whether or not you have a credit score that would be acceptable to lenders or other companies you would apply for credit from would be to have a copy of your credit report. Once you are given all of the information contained within them you can begin to address any blemishes you have due to collection accounts, reporting errors or even fraud. If you find that you are stuck between a rock and a hard place and cannot determine on your own how to fix any of the issues you locate on your report then perhaps you should seek some kind of expert advice from a credit counseling agency. In many cases getting someone to help you will make things a lot easier for you. The thing to be aware of is that not all of them will be as reliable as the next. Do your research before trusting anyone with anything as important as your credit score.