Credit reports and scores basics

How long does information about me stay on my consumer report?

How long does it take to get my free credit report after I order it?

What information do I need to provide to get my free credit report?

Does requesting my credit report hurt my credit score?

Does it hurt my credit to close a credit card?

Should I use a credit monitoring service to protect myself from identity theft?

Is it possible to remove accurate, negative information from my credit report?

What is a credit reporting company?

How do credit reporting companies get my information?

Do I have to pay for my credit score?

I tried to check my credit report online, but the site wanted to charge me a fee or get me to sign up for other services. Aren't credit reports free?

Do joint credit card accounts with my spouse affect my credit score?

If my spouse has a bad credit score, does it affect my credit score?

Will paying off my credit card balance every month improve my credit score?

What should my dispute letter to a credit reporting company look like?

Who can request to see my credit report?

What does the credit reporting company do after I notify it of an error on my credit report?

What if I disagree with the results of my credit report dispute?

I don't recognize the name of a creditor listed on my credit report. Should I dispute this listing?

How can I find out who has accessed my credit report?

If a credit reporting error is corrected, how long will it take before I find out the results?

What does it mean to put a security freeze on my credit report?

Why are some of my debts not showing up on my credit report?

If I dispute a debt, how does that show up on my credit report?

What are specialty consumer reporting agencies and what kind of information do they collect?