Your Experian credit report comes from one of the three major credit reporting agencies that loan and credit card companies use to determine your eligibility for opening an account, so the information contained in it is very important.  You need to review your Experian credit report at least once a year and make sure there is nothing negative on it or that someone hasn’t stolen your identity.

Your Experian credit report will contain a great deal of information about you that needs to be reviewed. You should start with your address and work history. Look at it and make sure that what Experian is correct. If you notice a discrepancy, note it so that you can contact them to dispute it after you have reviewed your entire report.

You should also look over the information in the active and inactive account sections. Your Experian credit report will show what accounts are currently open, if they are in good standing and what your credit limit is. It will also show closed accounts and if they have any charge offs or negative history.

Pay close attention to your negative history in your Experian Credit Report. This section will include late payments, judgments, write offs, ect. If you notice something that you feel is not correct, make a note of the company, the account number and how much they say you owe.

Once you have reviewed your Experian Credit Report, call the company to contest anything that you are not familiar with. Keep in mind that if it is a valid debt, the company that the debt is with will have proof somewhere that you are actually the one responsible for that debt. If you do find debts that are not yours and you feel someone has stolen your identity to receive loans and credit cards in your name, ask the company to put an alert on your credit report asking them to call you anytime credit is applied for.