Credit Reporting & Credit Repair

Credit Reporting:

Credit bureaus keep and report credit information. It is important to regularly monitor your credit report to ensure its accuracy. Much of this information concerns timely payment of customer accounts, but these reports can also contain other credit-related information, like judgments or tax liens. Businesses often use these credit reports to decide whether to offer customers loans, rent properties, or even to offer employment.

Your Rights:

You, the consumer, have the right to be told if information in your credit report is used against you. The person must also give you the name, address, and telephone number of the credit bureau that provided the consumer report. And though you have the right to know if information from your credit report was used against you, it helps to be vigilant in monitoring your own credit report.

Arizona consumers can now request one free annual credit report from each of the three major credit reporting companies (Equifax, Experian, and Transunion). You can request all three reports at once or order one report at a time.

Request your Free Annual Credit Report 

• Online: Visit annualcreditreport.com 
• Phone: Call (877) 322-8228
• Mail: Download and complete the Annual Credit Report Request form. Mail the completed form to:

After your annual free report, you can always request additional copies of your credit report for a fee (no more than $14.50) from one of the three largest credit reporting companies. Contact them here: 

Ways to qualify for additional free credit reports:

• A company takes adverse actions against you based on negative reporting by the credit reporting company.
  • Adverse actions include things like:
    • Denial of a credit application
    • Denial of an employment application
  • You must act within 60 days of getting notice of the adverse action to qualify for the additional free report.
• You are unemployed and plan to look for a job in the next 60 days.
• You are a recipient of public welfare assistance.
• Your report is inaccurate due to fraud or identity theft.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau maintains a list of other specialty credit reporting companies that may apply to your situation. You have to request reports from these companies individually. Some provide an annual free report; others may charge a fee. 

Beware of websites offering a free credit report only if you buy other products or services. Also, watch for websites giving you a free report and then billing you for services you have to cancel.

Checking your own credit report WILL NOT hurt your credit score. Regularly reviewing your credit report can help you to ensure that the information is accurate and up-to-date.

Credit Repair

Accurate information may not legally be removed from a credit report. Some companies offer to help consumers "clean up" their credit reports or their credit history. However, the only time anyone can remove anything from your credit report is when the data is outdated or inaccurate. You can usually remove inaccurate information from your credit report on your own at low or no cost. 

What to do if your report is inaccurate?

• Contact the credit reporting company to notify them of the incorrect information. You may want to provide evidence of the incorrect information.

• Contact the business reporting the information you believe is incorrect.

The reporting agency and the business will then investigate, which could take up to 45 days. If the investigation concludes that the report is inaccurate, the reporting agency must remove the inaccurate information and notify the other two credit reporting agencies. 

If the investigation concludes that the information is accurate, but you still dispute the claim, you may ask the credit reporting company to include a “Statement of Dispute” on your credit report. The credit reporting agency may charge a fee for this “statement of dispute” service. 

Credit Counseling Resources

The United States Department of Justice maintains a list of approved credit counseling agencies. 

• When reviewing potential credit counseling agencies, do your research online to see if others have had positive experiences. Check online review sites or the Better Business Bureau for reviews. 
• Ask upfront for free information about their services and what they provide. Reputable agencies should be willing to send you free information without asking for any details about your financial situation.

Credit Repair Red Flags

• Asking for payment before work is completed
  • Credit repair companies may not charge a fee until after services have been provided.
• Failing to inform you of your rights
  • Credit repair companies must give you a detailed statement of your rights and a notice informing you of the right to cancel your contract within three business days.
• Claiming it can remove or dispute accurate information 
  • File segregation and similar schemes involve using different identification numbers to build credit under a false identity. Credit repair scams involving file segregation or hiding unfavorable credit history are often illegal. 
  • Be cautious if the company advises you to dispute all the information in your credit report, regardless of its accuracy or timeliness. No one can get rid of accurate negative credit information. 
• Asking you not to contact credit reporting companies