This shouldn’t be news to anyone, but just in case, here it is in print as a reminder. Everyone should be checking their credit reports on a yearly basis at least.  Why? Identity theft is the biggest reason, but you should also keep on top of your credit for your credit’s sake. You really don’t want to need credit and not be able to get it because you’ve got your mother’s bad credit or your sister-in-law’s excessive credit sitting on your report in error.

Free credit reports began to become available in December of 2004, with the final states, those in the northeast, joining on September 1, 2005. Everyone in the United States, Puerto Rico, and all other U.S. territories are now eligible to receive a free credit report once a year. All three of the nationwide consumer reporting companies - Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion - participate. You can request a report from all three companies at one time which allows you to compare them and make any necessary corrections.  Another option is to request a report from each company spaced out throughout the year (for example, 1 report every 4 months) which allows you to check on any changes to your credit throughout the year.

To get your free annual credit report, visit http://www.annualcreditreport.com/.