If you’ve ever wished you could see your Equifax credit report, you’re not alone. Millions of people have been affected by bad credit at one point or another. The Equifax credit report can be a huge help in making decisions about your future. Here’s how to view your Equifax report:
Inquiries appear in the report if companies have reviewed your credit history. This is common for individuals who want to open a credit card, for instance. This information is generally not negative. However, it will lower your summary score if it’s many. Warning messages show up in the report as well. These include messages about your credit, your name, and address, and the Safescan fraud system. It is not a good idea to have too many of these messages on your report because this could damage your credit score.
Personal information shows how well you’ve managed your finances. Your name, address, Social Security number, and employment history can impact whether or not you’ll be approved for a loan. Your landlord may check your credit history when deciding whether to rent to you or not. Whether or not you’ve had any recent bankruptcies will also show up on your report. Fortunately, there are free credit reports from all three of the major bureaus, and they contain plenty of useful information.
While credit scores from the three major bureaus are similar, they may vary. Some creditors report to all three, while others report to one or two. Other lenders use a hybrid of the three credit scores to determine a person’s score. The information they use to calculate your score isn’t the same as those that are reported to Equifax. The information they use to determine your credit score can differ significantly from each other.