When you apply for a credit card, loan or mortgage, the bank will check your credit history before making a decision to lend you the money. This information comes from the two reporting agencies in Canada:
- Equifax Canada Inc.
- TransUnion of Canada
These companies keep files on individuals who apply for credit. Lenders, insurers, creditors and anyone involved in business transactions with you are able to receive these reports.
Your credit file will include information about your occupation, past and present addresses, debts, payment history and bankruptcies. You should get your credit report from each company once a year to ensure this information is correct.
When looking on these companies sites, it’s not always easy to see that you can get these reports for free. The free request form is normally hidden a few pages deep after you read all the offers to sell you an instant credit report. There are two benefits to paying for a report. One is that you get a credit score and tips to improve your score. The other is that you get the report immediately, if you suspect any type of credit card fraud or identity theft then this is a must.
Along with the request form, you will also need to send a photocopy of both sides of two pieces of identification. Together these combined pieces must contain your name, current address, date of birth and signature. Make sure your photocopies are readable and your form is properly filled out. If you make a mistake in your request you will not be notified by the credit bureau and will not receive your report.
The reports will take from two weeks to a month to arrive. Once you receive them, look them over and if you see any incorrect information, return the form they will provide you to get it corrected.
To make is easier to find and send in these forms once a year, I’ve combined all three with some directions on what identification to include and where to send them.
Related Posts:
Tom Drake is the owner and head writer of Canadian Finance Blog.
While you’re here, consider signing up for the 
I personally recommend check your report every quarter. You’d be surprised to the amount of inaccurate information you can find on it.
[...] The Canadian Finance Blog presents Check Your Credit Reports. [...]
[...] of the creditors on your credit report will report an R7 until the payments are completed, then the note of having completed a consumer [...]
[...] credit counseling. Most first-time bankruptcies last for nine months, though it can be longer. Your credit report and credit rating will suffer as well as there will be a bankruptcy note on your file for 6 years [...]
[...] Family’s Blog included Check Your Credit Reports in this week’s Carnival of Road to Financial Independence. Share this on TipdShare this on [...]
Good written ! thanx
Credit check application form
.-= Suzain´s last blog ..Application Forms =-.
[...] Highway included Check Your Credit Reports in this week’s Carnival of Debt [...]
[...] should check your credit reports at least once a year. There are two reporting agencies you need to contact, Equifax Canada Inc. and [...]
AP / Charles DharapakIsraeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas shake hands on Tuesday. President Barack Obama had first met separately with each. So much for President Obama’s hopes to make progress in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict this week. After meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, Obama had discount mbt shoes little mbt shoes to show for his time with the two leaders beyond the symbolic level of a tentative handshake to open their discussion at New York’s Waldorf Astoria Hotel. —KA
You can check your annual credit report for free, but it is vital in the run up to applying for a credit application your credit history is solid, so in this case more regular access is required. For example you want a mortgage.
Well at least in Canada you genuinely support the primary languages spoken, down here it’s a different ballgame… simply knowing you can get your report free is a barrier for many, especially in places like California, large populations don’t speak English (and Spanish was spoken here LONG before English). The gov mandated free annual credit report system is exclusively in English. How can this be fair for many Native Californians who only speak Spanish?