A Consumer’s Guide to Freezing Your Credit! Federal Regulation allows consumers to “Freeze” their credit for FREE! Previous to this regulation, credit bureaus would charge you for these services. What Does Freezing Your Credit Mean? Freezing your credit restricts access to your credit profile, making is harder for thieves or hackers to access your credit information or open accounts in your name. When you freeze your credit, it is not accessible unless you unfreeze it. Who Does This Apply to? · All consumers can freeze or unfreeze their credit. · You can even freeze access to your child’s profile if they are 16 or younger. This protects hackers and thieves from stealing their information to open credit in your child’s name. How Does This Work? First, contact each of the 3 credit bureaus and request to freeze your credit. Here are the websites to do that: · Equifax: https://www.equifax.com/personal/credit-report-services/ · Experian: https://www.experian.com/freeze/center.html · Trans Union: https://www.transunion.com/credit-help Next, request the credit freeze via online, phone or by mail. If you request to freeze your credit by phone or online, the credit bureau must comply within One Business Day! While you are there, be sure to request a FREE Fraud Alert. This will alert you if anyone tries to open credit in your name. What Happens if a Lender Needs to Access my Credit for a Loan? No worries! You can request to “unfreeze” your credit so that the lender can access your credit profile. If you make this request via phone or online, the credit bureau must comply within 1 hour. Once the lender has the information that they need, you can “freeze” your credit again for FREE! "The information provided has been based on rules and regulations issued by Federal Agencies and interpreted for you by MortgageCurrentcy.com. Interpretations are not guaranteed, but we attempt to make them easy to understand. Check with your local and state authorities to ensure that you meet all requirements and disclosures." Copyright © Mortgage Currentcy - Reprinted with permission Lisa Ramsey email Lisa Ramsey Mortgage Loan Originator, NMLS #206385 Bank Central Member Central Bancompany 5278 N. Nevada Avenue #100 | Colorado Springs, CO 80918 Cell: 719-205-1782 Fax: 888-850-5535 lisa.ramsey@bankcentral.net www.applywithlisaramsey.com