Finally checking my credit reports

Well, I've written before about the options for Canadians to obtain a copy of their credit report, and I decided to put my money where my mouth is, and request my own report.

Some quick research online revealed that both Equifax and TransUnion offer the option to request the report by phone. Here are the numbers to call:

• Equifax: 1-800-465-7166


• TransUnion: 1-800-663-9980

I've called each of these numbers, and as of today, they do indeed allow you to request your report by phone.

Here's the catch (at least for me): neither of these agencies has my current address on file, so I need to send the old-school paper request to obtain my report. Equifax at least lets you fax the request (514-355-8502), but TransUnion only accepts paper requests by mail. It looks like Northern Credit Bureaus allows you to fax your request as well (1-800-646-5876).

I'm glad that I decided to check my report, because now at least I know my address is out-of-date. The fact that any of my information is inaccurate has been an eye-opener to be more vigilant with checking my credit. I think I'll start doing a review once per year.

Let's see how the rest of the report stacks up.