Equifax
Consumer Direct
FICOŽ Credit Score, Credit Report, Credit Education & Full Equifax Consumer Services.
Your Secure Online FICOŽ Credit Score and Credit Report Direct From Equifax
Get Your Equifax Credit Report Now!
Equifax Credit Profile - Your Single Online Credit Report
Your Secure Online Credit Report Direct From Equifax
Your Equifax Credit Report™ offers you:
Immediate online access to your user-friendly credit reportDetails of credit cards and loans opened in your name
Complete breakdown of your payment history
Negative account history to identify items that may be adversely affecting you
Record of companies that have reviewed your credit file
Online dispute feature to help you fix errors quickly and simply
Educational tips to help you better understand your report
Access to this snapshot of your credit report for 30 days - this report does not update
Access to our friendly Customer Care seven days a week
Get Your Equifax Credit Report Now!
Equifax Score Power - Your FICOŽ Credit Score And Equifax Credit Report.
Information on your credit score
With spring and the home-buying season upon us, many of you were curious about ways to manage your credit score. A rating used by a lender, your credit score is only one factor in determining whether you qualify for a particular credit card, loan, or service and at what interest rate. The FICOŽ Score developed by Fair, Isaac and Company is the scoring model most widely used by lenders. Remember, it is ultimately the lender who decides on your loan - not a credit reporting company. Since so many factors impact the score, it is difficult to make generalizations about it, but there are some simple, easy steps you can take to manage your score :
Always make payments on time - payment delinquencies noted on your credit report can seriously damage your credit score.
Keep account balances low - high outstanding debt to available credit limit ratios can negatively impact your score.
Minimize the number of "hard" inquiries for your credit report. A hard inquiry is an indication on your credit file that a lender has obtained a copy of the report in order to evaluate your loan or credit application. An excess of hard inquiries within a short period of time can negatively impact your score. However, a "soft" inquiry - when you access your own credit report does not affect your score.
Get your FICOŽ credit score, the score lenders use most to qualify
you for credit (Includes your Equifax Credit Report™)
Your credit score often determines the credit you receive - both the amount of
the loan you qualify for and the rate you receive. So if you are preparing to
secure credit or a loan, level the playing field with your lender.
Become a better negotiator using your FICOŽ credit score.
Instant access to your FICOŽ credit score and Equifax Credit Report™ online
An explanation of your score to help you understand how lenders view your credit history
Interactive Score Simulator to show you how your actions may change your score
Specific tips on how to improve your score and a comparison of your score to the national average
Helpful links between your score and your report to give you a clearer understanding of both
Access this snapshot of your score and report for 30 days, this report does not update
Access to Customer Care, available 7 days a week
What is a Credit Score?
A credit score is a rating used by a lender to help determine whether you qualify for a particular credit card, loan, or service. Credit scores are determined using the information in your credit report, which is analyzed using a complex mathematical model to yield your credit score.
Because your credit score is one of the most influential factors in deciding whether to grant you credit, knowing your score can be indispensable when you apply for a loan.
Most credit scores estimate the risk a company takes on by lending you money or providing you with a service and the likelihood that you'll fail to make payments in the next two to three years. The higher the score, the less risk you represent to lenders.
About FICOŽ Scores
In the 1980s, Fair, Isaac and Company devised a mathematical model to predict the credit risk of consumers based on information in their credit report. Today, the Fair, Isaac system -- known as FICOŽ -- is the scoring model most widely used by lenders.
For over a decade, Equifax and Fair Isaac have offered businesses the FICOŽ score, making it the score most used by lenders. In 2001, Equifax and Fair Isaac gave consumers access -- for the first time -- to their FICOŽ credit score with the launch of Score PowerŽ.
Score PowerŽ demystifies your credit score by telling you what your score is, explaining how lenders may interpret it, and giving you ways to improve it.
As your credit information changes, your score can change as well. So your FICOŽ score from a month ago may not be the same score a lender would get from the credit reporting agency today.
What Factors Affect a Score?
Many different formulas are used to calculate credit scores, but most are based on the following factors, which each lender weighs differently:
Payment history. A record of late payments on your current and past credit accounts may lower your score.
Public records. Matters of public record such as bankruptcies, judgments, and collection items may lower your score.
Amount owed. Owing too much may lower your score, especially if you're approaching your total credit limit.
Length of credit history. In general, a longer credit history is better.
New accounts. Opening multiple new accounts in a short period of time may lower your score.
Inquiries. Whenever someone else gets your full credit report -- a lender, landlord, or insurer, for example -- an inquiry is recorded on your credit report. A large number of recent inquiries may lower your score.
Accounts in use. The presence of too many open accounts can lower your score, whether you're using the accounts or not.
The most commonly used credit score is a FICOŽ Credit Score, used by over 70% of the nation's creditors to make financial decisions about consumers.
3 - in - 1 Credit Report - Your entire credit history from all three credit reporting agencies in one easy to read report.
Get an Equifax 3-in-1 Credit Report Now!
Do You Know What Your Lenders Know?
Have you ever applied for a loan and received a higher interest rate than you expected? Or been turned down for an increase on a line of credit that you thought you deserved? Checking your credit report is like changing the oil in your car - you should do it regularly. This ensures you know exactly what's being reported about you. Did you know:
Lenders often determine your interest rate for a loan based on your credit score, which is directly related to information contained in your credit file.
Insurance companies often decide your risk category - which can affect your monthly premiums - based on your credit history.
More potential employers are requesting permission from applicants to perform a credit check; employers often view your credit history as an indication of your fiscal responsibility.
Rebuilding your credit is not an overnight process. So it's important to begin managing your credit before you need it. Lenders and creditors want to see how you manage your credit over a period of time before making a decision about you.
Knowing what's on your credit report could pay off - literally. When it comes time to apply for a loan, knowing your credit standing could help you secure a better interest rate. And the lower your rate, the more money you'll save over the life of a loan.
Information is not shared between the three major credit reporting companies. Therefore, checking your credit file from one company does not ensure that the same information is contained in your other two files. When checking your credit files from the three major credit reporting companies, check for inaccuracies and dispute them immediately.
Get an Equifax 3-in-1 Credit Report Now!
Equifax Credit Watch™- Around The Clock Credit Monitoring
Get Equifax Credit Watch Gold 3-in-1 Now!
Identity theft can happen in an instant, but it could be 14 months or longer before you discover it. By then, the accumulated financial damage can be devastating. Correcting the problem could cost you $18,000 or more and a year and a half of your life.
A change to your credit file can be an early warning sign of identity theft. Equifax Credit Watch™ monitors your credit file and alerts you via e-mail within 24 hours to changes in it, such as new account inquiries or updates reflecting late payments.
Now there's a simple, automated way to help detect and protect against the impact of identity theftRegularly checking your credit report for changes you did not make is one of the best ways to combat identity theft. Equifax Credit Watch™ makes monitoring your report easy by automatically alerting you within 24 hours of key changes in your Equifax Credit Report™ – like when someone tries to get credit in your name – so you can act before serious damage is done. And with credit card fraud being the most common type of identity theft, Equifax Credit Watch™ can now alert you to sudden changes in your credit card balances. Your service also includes your Equifax Credit Report™, identity theft insurance and access to live customer support.
Equifax Credit Watch™ Gold
Daily alerts of key file changes$20,000 identity theft insurance
Unlimited credit reports