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You Can Still Get Free Weekly Credit Reports

By U.S. News & World Report

The three major U.S. credit reporting agencies — Equifax, Experian and TransUnion — offer free weekly credit reports to consumers on AnnualCreditReport.com. The free weekly reports began in April 2020 at the start of the COVID-19 crisis. The service was initially in place for a year, but it became permanent in September 2023.

Before the pandemic, you could get one free copy of your credit report every 12 months from each credit bureau. Lenders and online credit education tools often provide free reports on demand, as well. What do you need to know about free weekly credit reports from the major bureaus, and what should you look for in your reports?

Should You Still Check Your Credit Report Regularly?

“With so many Americans living paycheck to paycheck, it’s understandable that some may have missed payments or even had an account go to collections,” says Beverly Harzog, bestselling author, credit card expert and former consumer finance analyst at U.S. News. “If this has happened to you, check your credit report to make sure any negative items on your report are accurate.”

Check your financial accounts online each day, Harzog says, and use the free weekly credit reports if you’re worried about accurate reporting. “A late payment, for example, will stay on your report for seven years,” she says. “It should fall off your report automatically, but it’s important that you follow up to confirm the removal.”

Lenders and others review your credit report to determine your creditworthiness for a loan or an apartment or even whether you’re hired for a job.

[Read: Cash Back Credit Cards]

What Should You Do With Your Free Credit Reports?

You’ll want to review your free credit report for areas you can improve and for mistakes. Here’s what to check:

— Basic information. An incorrect variation of your name or an address where you never lived could indicate fraud.

— Your accounts. An account that you don’t know about under your name is a red flag.

— Payment history. Be sure your accounts are reporting your payments accurately.

If you find a mistake, contact the credit bureau that reported the information and the creditor for the account. You will have to contact each credit bureau separately to dispute information in your credit report.

“Make sure you monitor your credit score as well so you get a comprehensive view of your credit status,” Harzog says.

Remember, the credit reports from AnnualCreditReport.com do not include credit scores, but you can get your FICO or VantageScore credit scores from a lender or online service.

Should You Check Your Credit Weekly?

You can check your credit every week, but do you really need to? It depends on your financial situation.

“Anyone going through a divorce or who has been a fraud victim needs to be extra-vigilant,” Harzog says. “If you’re unable to pay your bills and you have an accommodation in place, then check your reports weekly to make sure your account is still listed in good standing. Lenders could make mistakes.”

For everyone else, Harzog recommends checking your report every three or four months.

“One of the best ways to catch identity theft is to review your list of credit accounts on your credit report,” Harzog says. “If you see an account you didn’t open, that’s a sign of fraud and you need to take action immediately.”

Harzog says it’s important to look for fraud because it can bring down your score unnecessarily and prevent you from getting credit in the event you need it.

[Read: Balance Transfer Credit Cards]

How Can You Get Your Free Credit Reports?

You can go online, call or send a form in the mail to get your credit reports. Here’s how you can obtain a report, no matter which way your prefer.

— Website: Visit AnnualCreditReport.com and enter the required personal information, including your Social Security number and birthdate. You can print copies right away.

— Toll-free number: Call 877-322-8228 to have your reports mailed to you.

— Mailing address: Download the annual credit report request form, fill it out and mail it to Annual Credit Report Request Service, P.O. Box 105281, Atlanta, GA 30348-5281.

More from U.S. News

Do Balance Transfers Hurt Your Credit?

How to Protect Your Credit During a Disaster

What Is a FICO Credit Score?

You Can Still Get Free Weekly Credit Reports

originally appeared on usnews.com

Update 04/06/26: This story was previously published at an earlier date and has been updated with new information.

A whisper from the rubble led to baby’s rescue after Colombia earthquake

By CNN
(CNN) — When the deadly 7.4 magnitude earthquake struck Colombia on Monday, Brian Osorio Zuluaga ran out of his office in Cali and rushed home on his motorbike.The sight of a collapsed five-story residential building forced him to stop.“It was a large complex, covering an entire block,” Osorio told CNN.The quake was the strongest to hit Colombia in more than a decade and sent residents and neighbors of the building, La Torres del Limonar, fleeing into the street, “some in sleepwear or pajamas; some crying, others in shock,” Osorio said.He approached the rubble and began shouting into the wreckage for survivors, despite warnings about a possible gas leak.He suddenly asked those around him for silence. A faint sound rose out of the debris — barely a whisper.“Yes, I’m here. I’m with a baby,” a man’s voice replied.Osorio described how he and several others began moving debris with their hands to reach the pair. But a large concrete slab blocked their way.“On the first attempt, we couldn’t lift it,” he said. Then, “we all lifted together — one, two, three, up.”The slab was too heavy to toss aside, and Osorio was worried there could be more people trapped underneath. Some volunteers held it aloft as others cleared a path to the baby.“You can see the baby’s little head there — which, at the time, looked sort of purplish because he couldn’t breathe,” Osorio said. “Once we started removing the rubble, the baby began to… breathe, and his color started to come back.”Video of the remarkable rescue filmed by Osorio shows the tiny infant in a dusty bodysuit being carefully pulled out of the wreckage. A man, his arm bloodied, can be seen lying awkwardly on his side, still half-trapped under a concrete plank.Osorio said he was handed the baby, a boy, and gave him to a police officer, who took him to an ambulance. They then turned their attention to freeing the trapped man.In the rubble, Osorio said he saw clothes, shoes, and a stuffed animal covered in dust. He thought about the people who might still be trapped.“All those thoughts go through your mind,” he said.The bravery of everyone who rushed to help was what saved the lives of both man and baby.“Unity is strength, because no one person alone could have lifted that piece of rubble; it was so large and so heavy,” he said.“It’s better to act than to stand still,” Osorio added. “Every bit helps.”Rescue efforts enter third daySearch and rescue operations entered their third day early on Wednesday, as emergency responders raced to find more survivors after the powerful quake struck western Colombia, killing more than 200 people, according to a CNN count based on reports from officials.The quake struck at the heart of the country’s coffee-growing region and catapulted communities into a state of national disaster as world leaders offered aid and assistance.The European Union has mobilized its satellite service Copernicus and is providing funding to help the response, the bloc’s foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said.In Cali, a woman was pulled from under a mountain of rubble on Tuesday to cheers as firemen carried her out on a stretcher following a complex, multinational rescue operation.And in Pereira, a CNN team on the ground saw rescue workers and volunteers form a human chain to remove debris and help save those trapped from an apartment building.“There’s folks who have jumped in and you can see they’re wearing everything from athleisure wear to shorts, tennis shoes — they’re not prepared for this,” CNN’s senior national correspondent David Culver said from the site. “We have seen scenes like this scattered throughout Pereira. This is one of the hardest-hit areas.”But in the epicenter of Monday’s earthquake, Chocó, an indigenous leader told CNN that help has yet to reach the area, Colombia’s poorest region.Victor Chamapuro, leader of the Wounaan Indigenous Reserve “Buenavista” in Chocó’s Litoral del San Juan, said “all our houses are on the ground.”“Where are we going to sleep now? We have to be alert now, we’re sleeping outside,” he said.Chamapuro called on authorities to send food and medicine, saying one person in the community was injured.The “Buenavista” reserve can only be reached by boat on a five-hour journey from the port of Buenaventura, on Colombia’s Pacific coast.Video sent by Chamapuro from the reserve shows flattened buildings that appear to be built from timber and corrugated iron sheets. Others are still standing but with varying levels of damage.The earthquake is one of the first major challenges for Colombia’s new far-right President Abelardo de la Espriella, who took office only last week and has promised to strike hard at criminal groups and leftist militants in Colombia.De la Espriella on Tuesday announced economic relief measures for those affected by the quake, and financial support for people who have lost their homes to rent temporary housing.The-CNN-Wire™ & © 2026 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.
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