Experian - best of the pack
Written: Jul 19 '01
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Pros: Accurate, detailed, amusing address list
Cons: long (but see pros)
The Bottom Line: This is (for me) the most accurate of the three credit reports, and it has the most information about each of the accounts and former addresses.
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| Arthur.Rubin's Full Review: Experian/TRW |
As a recent victim of credit fraud, I thought it wise to check my credit reports on each of the three major agencies. Experian/TRW has the most detail and the fewest inaccuracies, although the list of addresses on file is amusing. They were also the fastest at correcting errors, although there is still (after 3 corrections) one possible inaccuracy. (I'll explain why there were 3 corrections later.)
First Contact
I chose to request the report from their web site, http://www.experian.com . It came back with a bounce message, so I called the phone number listed on that web page. Apparently, the fraudulent credit card application was in their files, so I needed to fax them my social security card and driver's license (both sides) to confirm my identity. After that, the report came promptly (by mail, as I though it might be evidence in the criminal or civil charges against the forgers, who had been caught.)
Details
The report, and each of the corrected reports had the following sections:
Credit items: A detailed listing about 8 lines long by 8 columns for each credit item, reporting the creditor's name and address, credit card number (with the last 3 digits removed), date opened, date first reported, status date, date last reported (the last two almost always being the same), type (installment, revolving, etc.), terms (30 years for a 30-year mortgage, 1 month for the American Express Card, NA for most other creditors), monthly payment (probably "minimum monthly payment), Responsibility (Individual, Joint, Authorized user, etc.), Credit limit or original amount, high balance, recent balance, recent payment (these last four are not very reliable even when reported), and status.
The status column includes the actual status (open, closed, paid, inactive, etc.), when the account is scheduled to be removed (if closed or paid), and comments (such as Account closed at consumer's request).
Your use of credit: This includes a history of credit limit and balance for up to 24 months for certain creditors.
If there were any court judgements or bankruptcies, they would appear here.
Requests for your credit history: with two subcategories, Requests viewed by others and Requests viewed only by you. Both types have the credit viewers name and address, and the date of request (month only for the second category). The first category has comments about the reasons for the request and the date it is to continue on record (up to 2 years).
Personal information: This section includes names, addresses, other social security numbers, date of birth, driver's license number , spouse's first name, and employers. This is the most amusing section, as you can see how badly your name has been misspelled (Arthur L In?) or addresses lost. I had 12 addresses in my last corrected report, of which 5 were valid, 2 plausible misspellings, 4 at apartment complexes with the apartment number lost (including two with digits transposed in addition), and one was totally garbled. If you haven't received a credit card statement recently for a card you're actually using, this section may tell you where the statements are going.
Corrections history:
I first noticed that they had listed two credit cards from Chase. A check of my records showed that one of the entries was 2 card numbers ago on the same account. I called in a correction and they promptly deleted the old entry, which they had previously reported as closed.
After I received the reports from the other two agencies and combined them, I noticed a card reported as Dillards, Fedco, and "Trav Bank" by the three agencies. It was listed as Inactive at Trav Bank by Experian. I contacted Experian to let them know that, although the card might technically not have been canceled, it was no longer valid. They changed the status to "closed", but....
The corrected report also showed the same account number at Citifinancial as inactive. The last corrected report I received showed that account at "Trav Bank" as paid. I think "closed" might be more accurate, but it's close enough for the moment.
Summary
This is (for me) the most accurate of the three credit reports, and it has the most information about each of the accounts and former addresses.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
Arthur.Rubin
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 in Personal Finance |
 in Personal Finance |
 - Top 500 |
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Member: Arthur Rubin
Location: Brea, CA, USA
Reviews written: 97
Trusted by: 109 members
About Me:
Expert in mathematics, computers, income tax, with a wide variety of interests.
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