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Free Credit Reports Abound for Many U.S Citizens

09.15.09
By John Ulzheimer

The 2003 amendments to the Fair Credit Reporting Act gave over 200 million of us the right to see our credit reports once per year for free from each of the credit reporting agencies. But did you know that millions of consumers are entitled to additional free credit reports from all of the credit reporting agencies because of the state where they live? That's right: Many states were ahead of the credit report freebie curve and had consumer disclosure laws in place long before the federal law went into effect.

If you live in any of these states, you are entitled to one free credit report in addition to your federal freebie: Colorado, Maine, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and Vermont. And if you live in Georgia, you are entitled to two free credit reports in addition to your federal freebie.

What the law does not provide for is a free credit score. This was a well-debated topic that generated strong opinions on each side of the argument. On the one had, a free credit score is nice to have because it saves you a few dollars. On the other hand, simply giving away a credit score without significant context renders it somewhat useless. Having said that, I can certainly understand and appreciate both sides of the argument.

September has come and is almost gone. If you have not claimed your federal freebie or your state freebies, don't forget to exercise your rights!



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