I recently applied for a loan and was told by the bank I have an outstanding bill on my credit report, the amount is near nothing, and I don't remember getting any billing statement from a creditor. I always pay my bills on time and have an excellent credit score. The bank could not tell me who/when/where it was from as it was not listed on the report and they were confused as to what it was. The bank referred me to try Equifax as that is who they use. Has anyone used Equifax or who/what is a good company to find out info. from? Any help would be appreciated,thanks.

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The bank could not tell me who/when/where it was from as it was not listed on the report

How can there be a "report" on your report but no report about who's reporting it?

One of my credit cards lets me run my report once a month at no cost. Prior to that I used Myfico.com which I had to pay for. Each agency has to provide you with a free copy, but you have to do that footwork yourself.

If it was on Equifax I would contact them, get a copy, and dispute whatever it is.

This is the website to use to pull your credit reports for free, no strings attached:

www.annualcreditreport.com

Annualcreditreport.com

The government mandates that each of the credit reporting bureaus give you one free credit report annually (report, not score. Scores can cost extra.)

The above link is the portal that the government set up to make access to your reports easy.

Each of the reporting agencies mostly show the same data, but not always the case. I would check the one that your bank tells you they checked, then check the others each 4 months apart. If you spread it out, you can check your credit 3 times a year for weird account activity for free.

I also use CreditKarma for a simulated score and summary, and several of my credit cards offer scores and reports periodically. Between all the services, you should be able to pin down all credit activity and scores just about any time you are wondering.

I'm a big fan of the CreditKarma App. Super easy to use, I think its only an approximation of your score but it shows all open accounts etc...

I suggest you use www.creditkarma.com. It's free to use and they have pretty extensive information including scores from Transunion and Equifax. You can even dispute Transunion on their website.

If patw pays off the bill, doesn't is still stay on the credit report?

Once you pull your credit report from Equifax, you can file a dispute regarding information that is incorrect. I have done this and it worked with no issues.

https://www.equifax.com/personal/disputes/

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If patw pays off the bill, doesn't is still stay on the credit report?

Yes, but.....

He said they didn't know who it was reporting it because that data was absent. You can't pay if you don't know who they are. The agencies also have a duty to verify information is accurate if it is disputed.

Dispute it, have it removed, and it will no longer be hanging around to impact your score.

Did the bank you applied for the loan with decline you because of the information on the credit report they pulled? If so, you have a right to get a copy of the report and can dispute any errors. The bank you applied with should have provided you with detailed info on how to get the copy for your review.

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Originally posted by KurtZ66:
Did the bank you applied for the loan with decline you because of the information on the credit report they pulled? If so, you have a right to get a copy of the report and can dispute any errors. The bank you applied with should have provided you with detailed info on how to get the copy for your review.

You beat me to it. A denial requires that they mail a letter indicating the reason for the denial, as well as provide you with instructions on how to obtain your free report.

Annualcreditreport.com asks for SSAN. Makes me nervous to provide that info on-line. How secure is this?

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Originally posted by Fdan:
Annualcreditreport.com asks for SSAN. Makes me nervous to provide that info on-line. How secure is this?

Make sure you are on your home network. make sure the address is https:// instead of just http:

I was not declined as I am still going through the process of the loan,(sending them my w-2,pay stubs,etc.). The bank is highly recommended from a few friends who have used them before and their rates are the best around.

When they checked via Equifax initially,the credit service they use, it did not show who or what it was on the credit report for them and I was advised to contact Equifax to see what it was about. The loan manager was stumped, or so he said.

The amount was less than $50.00, so I don't think it would cause any issue with the loan as I have more than enough equity in my home and the loan is not much. I have had a few loans prior and never had an issue before,so I figure with this one it shouldn't be an issue. It bothers me more than I think it does them, as I just want to know what it is about. The only thing I was told was that it was a medical expense.

Always good to check your credit report, not just your FICO.....

Years ago (1984) when I was about 18, I applied for a loan, and they said I had too much outstanding debt. I said WTF, I only have 2 credit cards (1 gas 1 visa), can I see the report?

There were about 10 credit cards and loans listed under my name. They were my fathers. We both have the same 1st name, but I am not a junior. Since I obviously lived at the same address in the last couple of years I guess they showed up on my report...I pointed out that one gas card said I was a member since 1973, that would mean I was 7 years old when I opened the account LOL. It was easy to get cleared up, but slowed down my original loan process.

I’ve been using annualcreditreport since they started. No issues with SSN. As long as you make sure you are on the correct site.

Like Aeteocles, I check each one four months apart.

If you were denied credit you are entitled to a free copy of the report used directly from the provider. Do not waste your free annualcreditreport for this. Use it later to verify anything disputed has been removed.