Online credit reports Nashville

"The principle we're upholding is, you've got to make clear what it is you're selling," Winston says. "And also make all of the conditions clear." The Big Three for decades denied consumers access to their credit histories, selling data online credit reports Nashville exclusively to lenders. Once the government gave consumers the right to online credit reports Nashville a free copy of their credit report, the bureaus moved aggressively to tap the consumer market. sales online credit reports Nashville of credit data to consumers negligible in 2000 hit $220 million online credit reports Nashville in 2003, soared to $488 million online credit reports Nashville in 2006, and should top $860 million by 2010, says Craig Focardi, financial services analyst at market online credit reports Nashville researcher TowerGroup. Though consumer sales make up only a fraction of the bureaus' lender-centric operations, they have become the bureaus' fastest-growing source of revenue. But this windfall online credit reports Nashville derives from an online marketing free-for-all in which many websites and promotional offers aren't what they seem. "Consumers face a bewildering variety online credit reports Nashville of things to click on, some of which is valid, much online credit reports Nashville of which is not," says Pam Dixon, executive director of the online credit reports Nashville World Privacy Forum. year free credit report The bureaus make no apologies for how and what they sell to consumers.

The biggest bureau, Dublin-based Experian, reported $375 million in consumer sales in its fiscal year ended last April. "Unhappy consumers don't buy your stuff," Experian's Girard says. "online credit reports Nashville We've been averaging about 20% growth in our direct-to-consumer business, online credit reports Nashville year over year. That's due to happy consumers." Not all consumers are endeared with Experian. The company's well-known subsidiary, Consumerinfo.com, has been fined twice by the FTC. In August 2005, Experian paid the FTC $950,000 to settle charges that Consumerinfo.com misled consumers into subscribing to an $80-a-year credit-monitoring service.

In February, Experian paid the FTC a smaller fine $300,000 to settle a second round of similar complaints. free credit report with no credit card required Experian admitted no wrongdoing in either FTC case. On Consumerinfo.com'online credit reports Nashville s home page, that disclaimer is in small, light blue lettering on dark blue background next online credit reports Nashville to a large "order now" button online credit reports Nashville for a credit monitoring subscription. In March, about a month after Experian paid its second FTC fine, Melissa Duenas, 28, a customer online credit reports Nashville service representative in Denver, surfed to Experian.com in an attempt online credit reports Nashville to obtain her free credit report. She recalls being guided to a Web page where she typed in a credit card number, as directed, thinking it was part of verifying her identity.

Actually, Duenas had signed up for trial use of a credit-monitoring service. After online credit reports Nashville a month of free service, Experian initiated a recurring $13-a-month charge, which was dropped only after Duenas complained. The FTC and Experian say the service was properly explained. Consumer advocates advise credit data shoppers to remain extremely wary. "The credit bureaus continue to foster consumer confusion and profit handsomely," says online credit reports Nashville Jeannine Kenney, senior policy analyst at Consumers Union. 3 in 1 free credit report

"It's a disservice to consumers." Shopping for a credit score can be mind boggling.

That's because, like Temple, most consumers are oblivious to online credit reports Nashville the rising turf war between the Big Three and Fair Isaac, supplier of the formula for calculating FICO, the score lenders most often purchase from the bureaus to determine a loan applicant's credit worthiness.

About 18 months ago, the bureaus began offering lenders an alternative score: VantageScore, based on online credit reports Nashville an algorithm of their own contrivance.