I have desperately been trying to get my hands on a copy of my credit report from pre 1999. Today I called the customer service department at Household Automotive Funding Corporation and very politely asked them if they had a copy of the CR they pulled on me when they approved me for an auto loan in March 1998. The loan was for 14K so I know they pulled a credit report. I paid this loan off in full in August 2000. The customer service rep seemed very confused about what I was asking for. I explained again and she put me on hold while she asked her supervisor if they could send me a copy of the credit report. She came back on the line and told me that her supervisor told her that it is "illegal" to provide that information to me (even though it's information about me!) I cannot believe that this is true. Does anyone know whether or not I have a legal right to a copy of my credit report from them? Any ideas on how to progress. I wrote down the full names of the customer service rep and her supervisor and I want to send this one up the ladder.
When you apply for a mortgage or a mortgage pre-approval, you, as the consumer, usually PAY for the report. Where I am it is typically $35.00. I don't know about car loans but if anywhere in your paperwork you find that you PAID for that report I would think they they are obliged to show it to you. I don't see how any creditor could get away with the claim that it is illegal to show you something that you paid for or for that matter, even if you didn't pay for it. I don't recall seeing anything in the FCRA saying that the credit reports, once obtained, are the sole property of the party who pulled it or any legal issue with respect to providing a copy to the consumer. I would ask that supervisor to quote for you, in writing, just what law he is referring to.
Showing it to you is not against the FCRA and I'd be surprised if it was against any state law. It might, howver, be prohibited by teh agreements btween the CRA and the company.
Squawk: I do believe youâ??re correct; I just glanced at contracts with the big three (somewhat older versions, perhaps than those more current), and non-disclosure is specified. I presume, although am speculating to a slight degree, the reason being is that the CRAs lose revenue when such disclosures are made. $8.00 bucks multiplied by millions per month, equates to quite a revenue stream.
I am going to check my disclosure statement for the loan and see if I was charged a credit bureau fee. In any case, I have just faxed off a letter to the President of HAF (division of HI which is a Fortune 200 Company). We'll see what kind of repsonse I get.
Re: Welcome Back Anthony Does anyone know what remedy I have for obtaining a copy of my credit report as it looked in 1998 if I hit a brickwall with HAFC. Is there a procedure with the CRAs to get them to provide an "old snapshot" of a report...or a complete dump of everything in their system on me?
Re: Welcome Back Anthony Illegal? ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Thats a joke!!!!
Re: Welcome Back Anthony Thank you, thank you, I really havenâ??t gone anywhere (except to the ranch site)â?¦ Just been busy which is why I havenâ??t posted as much lately. [;-)
Re: Welcome Back Anthony Yes those disclosure statements make them say a lot of things. Collection agencies and creditors will many times tell consumers that it is "illegal to change information on a credit report, or to delete a trade line all together. The fact is, they have agreements with the CRA's stating that they will not do it. IT IS NEVER AGAINST THE LAW. The law only states that only true information may remain. The law doesn't say that it is illegal to change or delete the trade line all together. The wording must be carefully looked at.
Re: Welcome Back Anthony That's like when they tell you they "must" report an item for 7 years. The law says they "can" report it for 7 years. breeze
Re: Welcome Back Anthony I have been told by many lenders that it is illegal for them to let us see/or have the copy they pull on us. What is the reasoning behind that? It's all ready been pulled, which I paid for. Since they get stuff totally different or more indepth then we do on our consumer reports. How are we ever to know to beable to fix the items they are seeing? I still think this whole CR crap is a big game to control our lives in every aspect. Look at it this way. You can't get a home, a car, many major purchases, credit. In some instances checking/or savings accounts. Your Cr is even reviewed sometimes for employment reasons. Anyone willing to pay & considering themself a type of authority can pull your CR. As long as they have your SS#. Pretty scary huh. Becky
Re: Welcome Back Anthony ================ They also control where and how often you shop,where you live & where you work.
Re: Welcome Back Anthony (1) Your credit "report" is a living, breathing (for some, rather congested and wheezing) history -- there are no "give me my credit report from 02.FEB.1997" requests. If the creditor happens to have the actual hardcopy, then you are in better shape. However, I do not believe that they are bound by any laws to provide you with a copy. In fact, most mortgage brokers/lenders are NOT legally obligated to GIVE you a copy, although most will do it if it was obtained during the process of TRULY applying for a loan/mortage, and not just someone trying to get a free FICO score out of them. Again, they do not HAVE to provide you with a hardcopy -- the only thing they HAVE to do is to tell you WHO they obtained it from (i.e., which CRA) and the reasons WHY you were denied (if applicable). Other than that, they do NOT have to provide you with a hard copy of ANY credit report(s), recent or old.
Re: Million Dollar Question akg, What is the reason "WHY" you want a copy of an old report? What purpose will it serve? Just wondering.
Re: Million Dollar Question I need a hardcopy of a pre-1999 credit report to prove that a CA has reaged a debt.
Re: Million Dollar Question Is there any other way to find out other than an old credit report? This kind of thing highlights the advice to pull a consumer report on your file often and to keep the copies for the full 7 years.
Re: Million Dollar Question Mist --- I was wondering that same thing. It seems to me that others on the board have referred to some type of "full disclosure" CR used for mortgages or pre-employment screens when a high salary is involved. If anyone knows of such a CR available to an individual from the CRA, please post.
Re: Million Dollar Question Akg, SO, you have a company re-aging a debt? Is this a collection agency or creditor? Have you asked for validation of the debt? IF so, have they complied with validation? This reaging of debts is quite common with companies that buy up large amounts of unsecured debts. The have been class action lawsuits filed for this abuse. A good example of this sad activity is Financial Credit Corp. THey have an old Bally's account of mine. THey used to report it with the bureaus, until I caused a huge fuss. I could never get them to validate the debt. I just raised a stink with the CRA's for reporting it and they removed it. They still call from time to time, but they dont touch my reports. THey know better. As far as this goes, I would also file a dispute with the CRA's. If they verify, I would take it a step further.
Re: Million Dollar Question Yes, I asked for a validation of the debt via certified r/r mail on August 15th, will have to wait 30 days to see if they will comply with my request. I think I got caught up in a situation like you are describing...the CA bought a huge block of unsecured accounts and went fishing.
