Find Out Your Standing

A law passed last year requires credit bureaus to provide consumers with a free annual credit report. However, the law is being implemented differently from state to state and it will take all of 2005 before every state will be able to offer free reports to residents (check www.ftc.gov for updates).

In the meantime, anyone can still get a credit report, but you'll have to pay for it. You can buy those reports -- although not your FICO score -- from the three major credit bureaus: Experian (www.experian.com; 888-397-3742); TransUnion (www.transunion.com; 800-916-8800); and Equifax (www.equifax.com; 800-685-1111).

Fair Isaac offers all three reports plus your FICO score (www.myfico.com). Costs vary, as does the amount of information each report provides, but any one report should give a good bird's-eye view of your credit.

However, to get the most comprehensive overview of your credit, it's a good idea to invest in all three reports. That's because some creditors may report to one bureau but not another. Or if those creditors report to every bureau, they may do so at different times of the month. So your scores with each bureau will differ slightly.

"Generally, if your score is 680 or higher, you can apply for credit with confidence," says Stephen Snyder, financial expert and author of Do You Make These 38 Mistakes With Your Credit? (Bellwether, 2004).