Equifax Review

NextAdvisor Credit Report Blog Headlines

Credit 101
If you are a high school or college student, now is the best time to begin establishing a credit history, and that means that it’s also time to learn how to use credit responsibly. You may have one or two credit cards already, or perhaps you’re just beginning to consider applying for your first. Either [...]

Why Monitoring Your Credit Score Is More Important Than Ever During The Credi...
As if life weren’t hard enough already during this economic downturn, another side effect of the credit crunch is that your credit score could go down even without any negative information being added to your credit report! That’s right, even if you’re able to continue to pay all your bills on time, and pay [...]

Department of the Treasury?s online game teaches kids about credit
The Ad Council recently launched a new website on behalf of the U.S. Department of the Treasury in order to educate young people about how to use credit responsibly. Players gather information about debt management, credit history and credit cards in order to progress through the game and unlock “Room 850″ in a virtual hotel. [...]

Reader Question: What service is best for protecting my identity and monitori...
Q: I would like to monitor my credit and make sure my identity is protected as well. Which service is best for me? A: If you want to protect your identity and get access to your credit report and score, then Identity Guard is likely the best service for you. There are two types of identity [...]

Data Breach Alert: 2,000 investment firm clients, including Supreme Court Jus...
Just over six months ago, an employee of a McLean investment firm inadvertently exposed private company files while using LimeWire. This breach exposed the names, dates of birth and Social Security numbers of about 2,000 of the firm’s clients, including Supreme Court Justice Stephen G. Breyer and a number of high-powered lawyers. The breach was [...]

A foreclosure on your credit report can make renting an apartment nearly impo...
As foreclosures rise, former homeowners with blemished mortgage histories are flooding the rental market. Unfortunately, landlords are often hesitant to rent to applicants whose credit reports show a history foreclosures, short sales (when a house is sold for less than the amount owed on the mortgage) or deed-in-lieu of foreclosure (when a homeowner gives up [...]

Lost laptop computers may cost you more than you realize
The recent Ponemon Institute survey, commissioned by Dell, sheds light on just how many laptops are lost or stolen at U.S. airports. At 36 major airports, lost laptops total more than 10,000 a week. When smaller airports are taken into account as well, the total number of lost laptops rises to 637,000 a year. Laptops [...]

The U.S. government contradicts its own advice about Social Security numbers
The Federal Trade Commission and the Social Security Administration warn, “Protect your Social Security number. Don’t carry your Social Security card in your wallet or write your Social Security number on a check.” But at least 44 million Medicare insurance cards include the beneficiary’s full Social Security number. Charlene Frizzera, chief operating officer of the nation’s [...]

How to read, analyze and dispute your Equifax credit report
Equifax is one of the three major credit reporting bureaus in the United States. In this guide we are going to walk through a sample version of Equifax’s online credit report with FICO score. If you don’t already have your Equifax credit report you can get instant online access to an Equifax or three bureau credit [...]

Reader Question: How do I set a fraud alert on my credit report?
Q: I recently lost my wallet which contained my driver’s license, Social Security card and credit cards. How do I go about putting a fraud alert on my credit report? A: A fraud alert is an annotation on your credit report which lets potential lenders know that you have been, or believe you may have [...]