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How To Get A Free Credit Report – And Why You Should

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Your credit report is a rundown of your credit history, including accounts you’ve opened, how much you owe, your payment history and a summary of certain legal issues.

Lenders use this information to determine whether to grant you a credit card, a car loan or a mortgage. Landlords and employers sometimes consider credit history for prospective tenants and employees.

Because your credit past can have a big impact on your financial future, you’ll want to stay up to date on what’s in your credit report.

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How to get a free credit report — and why you should

There’s no reason not to get your free credit report

(Image credit: Light And Dark Studio/Shutterstock)

Your credit report is a rundown of your credit history, including accounts you’ve opened, how much you owe, your payment history and a summary of certain legal issues.

Lenders use this information to determine whether to grant you a credit card, a car loan or a mortgage. Landlords and employers sometimes consider credit history for prospective tenants and employees.

Because your credit past can have a big impact on your financial future, you’ll want to stay up to date on what’s in your credit report.

“People need to be informed and educated about credit,” said Darin Shebesta, a certified financial planner and wealth advisor with Jackson/Roskelley Wealth Advisors, Inc., in Scottsdale, Arizona. “I think at least checking [your credit report] once a year is smart and then obviously more frequently as long as you don’t have to pay for it.”

Federal law requires that each major credit-reporting agency — Equifax, Experian and TransUnion — provides a free copy of your credit report once per year.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, however, all three credit bureaus are offering free reports on a weekly basis, meaning you can keep a very close eye on your financial wellbeing. As of this writing, weekly reporting is expected to be available until April 20, 2022.

Here’s how to request yours.

How to get your free credit report

To request your free credit report, hop on over to AnnualCreditReport.com (don’t trust any other website) and follow these steps:

1. Tap “Request yours now!” in the top menu bar or click the “Request your free credit reports” button.

2. Click the “Request your credit reports” button on the next page.

3. Enter your information, including your full name, birthday, Social Security number and address into the form fields and hit Next.

4. Select which credit bureau report you want. You can choose one, two or all three. Click Next.

5. Enter the requested verification information, such as the last four digits of your Social Security number or your email address, on the next screen and follow any further instructions.

6. If the credit-reporting agency is able to verify your identity, you will get access to your free report. You’ll have to repeat the verification process for each bureau if you select more than one.

7. If your identity cannot be verified, you may have to call the credit bureau or submit a request by mail.

As noted, you can currently request a free report from each credit-reporting agency on a weekly basis, so it won’t make a huge difference if you get all three at once or spread them out over a few days.

Once you are limited again to one report per credit bureau per year, you should request all three reports at the same time only if you’re planning a big purchase like a home or car. Otherwise, it may be best to order one free report every few months.

“Certainly, if you’re going to go and apply for credit, you want to check before you do it,” Shebesta says. “Part of why it’s good to check it out ASAP is because if there are any errors that need to be corrected, that takes time.”

What’s in my credit report?

Your credit report is a compilation of your financial history as reported by creditors, lenders and financial institutions. The information in your credit report generally falls into several major categories:

Personal information: names (present and past), addresses (current and former), phone numbers, Social Security number, birthdate

Information about your credit accounts: account types and dates, credit limits, balances, payment history

Information from public records: liens, bankruptcies, foreclosures, civil judgments

Collection history: accounts sent to debt-collection agencies

Credit inquiries: companies and creditors that have viewed your report

While all your credit reports likely contain similar information, they will probably not be identical. Creditors are not required to report their data to every bureau, which is why it’s helpful to request a report from each agency at least once a year. This also allows you to compare for common credit report errors.

One thing you probably won’t see on your credit report? Your credit score. Credit-reporting bureaus are not obligated to provide a score for free with your credit report.

Credit report vs. credit score

While related, your credit report and credit score are not the same. Your credit report shows your credit history, which certainly informs your credit score, a prediction of your future creditworthiness.

Credit scores range from 300 to 850 and help creditors understand, at a glance, how likely you are to pay your debts on time. Generally speaking, the lower your score, the higher the risk a creditor is taking when lending you money.

“The report tells the story of the score,” Shebesta says.

However, there are a few different formulas used to calculate credit scores, and within each model — FICO and VantageScore are the key players — are a handful of different types of scores.

Credit bureaus also have their own “educational” scores that may or may not reflect your official FICO score. Your credit score could vary based on the model used and the data supplied by each individual credit-reporting bureau.

How to get a free credit report: Bottom line

Your credit report contains useful information about your credit history, which is what lenders use to determine whether you should qualify for more credit. You have access to a free credit report from each credit-reporting agency at least once per year from AnnualCreditReport.com — take advantage of this to ensure there are no surprises.

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Oyo 2027: Adelabu Quits As Power Minister To Focus On Guber Race

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The Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu has formally resigned from his position in the Federal Government to pursue his governorship ambition in Oyo State.

In a resignation letter dated April 22, 2026, and addressed to the President, Adelabu stated that his resignation will take effect on April 30, 2026, to enable him to focus on his governorship ambition in Oyo State.

The letter, routed through the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, stated that he was stepping down with “a deep sense of honour and profound gratitude.”

He wrote, “I write with a deep sense of honour and profound gratitude to formally tender my resignation as the Honourable Minister of Power of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. This resignation is to take effect on 30th April 2026, in order to allow sufficient time for a smooth and orderly handover of responsibilities.”

Adelabu thanked the President for the opportunity to serve, describing his appointment as a privilege.

He said, “Your Excellency, I remain sincerely grateful for the privilege and confidence you reposed in me by appointing me to serve our great nation in this capacity.

“It has been a rare honour to contribute to national development under your leadership and to play a role in advancing reforms in the power sector—one of the most critical foundations of Nigeria’s industrial growth and economic transformation.”

The former minister said his resignation was to enable him focus fully on his governorship ambition in Oyo State, citing provisions of the amended electoral law.

He added, “My decision to step down is informed by my intention to focus fully on my gubernatorial ambition in Oyo State. This aspiration, which dates back to 2016 during my service as Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, ultimately led to my voluntary resignation from the Central Bank in 2018 in order to pursue the same goal.”

“In line with the provisions of the Amended Electoral Act 2026, which preclude political office holders from contesting elections, I consider it both appropriate and necessary to resign at this time.”

Adelabu’s exit marks a major political development ahead of the next electoral cycle, particularly in Oyo State, where he is expected to contest the governorship election.

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Wale Edun, Musa Dangiwa Resigned Voluntarily, Not Sacked – Presidency

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The Presidency has clarified that Wale Edun (former Finance Minister) and Ahmed Musa Dangiwa (former Housing Minister) voluntarily resigned from their positions and were not sacked by President Tinubu.

In a statement released this evening April 22, presidential media aide, Bayo Onanuga, said that contrary to public opinions, Wale Edun resigned on health grounds while Dangiwa also tendered his resignation and thanked the President for the opportunity given him to serve in the Federal Executive Council.

Onanuga stated that Edun, who clocked 70 on Monday and has battled recent ill health, fittingly submitted his resignation letter on his birthday, thanking the President for the opportunity to serve Nigeria.

“It has been a pleasure and privilege to serve your administration and the Renewed Hope Agenda, Under your leadership, Nigeria has emerged stronger, more resilient and more internationally respected. I wish you and the administration every success in the future” he wrote

Onanuga stated that on Tuesday, before the Office of the Secretary of the Government of the Federation announced his departure from the Cabinet, Edun paid a valedictory visit to the President at the Villa and held an hour-long discussion with the president and then left to focus on his private businesses.

The presidential aide stated that President Tinubu has expressed deep appreciation to Edun and Dangiwa for their dedicated service and significant contributions to the administration’s economic reform programme and wished them continued success in their future endeavours.

‘’In the same vein, the President has urged the new Minister of Finance, Taiwo Oyedele, to consolidate ongoing reforms and advance the administration’s fiscal and economic objectives with renewed focus, discipline, and innovation.

President Tinubu will shortly send the ministerial nominee for housing, Muttaqha Rabe Darma, also from Katsina, like Dangiwa, to the Senate for confirmation” the statement concluded

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Unity Bank, Experts Advocate Green Investment, Climate Innovation To Drive Economic Resilience

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Nigeria’s retail lender, Unity Bank Plc, alongside leading climate innovation experts, has called for increased investment in the green economy and the adoption of frontier technologies as critical pathways to driving economic resilience and reducing the impact of climate change on vulnerable populations across Africa.

The call was made during a thought-provoking webinar hosted by the Bank to commemorate this year’s Earth Day, themed “The True Cost of Climate Change and Who Pays?”. Climate experts and stakeholders convened to examine the human, economic, and institutional costs of climate change, while spotlighting practical solutions to address its growing impact.

In his opening remarks, Unity Bank’s Head of Strategy and Innovation, Ibukun Coker, emphasised the urgency of addressing climate risks from both a societal and business perspective.

He said: “Climate change is no longer a distant or abstract challenge. It is an existential threat with direct consequences for individuals, businesses, and economies. At Unity Bank, we recognise the role institutions must play in incorporating sustainability in project financing, supporting businesses and promoting solutions that build resilience in communities where we operate.”

The webinar featured Chinwe Udo-Davis, Founder and CEO of Instollar, and Oluwatosin Ajide, Programme Manager at the Nigeria Climate Innovation Centre, both of whom provided insights into the drivers of climate change and the pathways to mitigation and adaptation.

Speaking during the session, Udo-Davis highlighted the disproportionate burden which climate change places on underserved communities and the need for inclusive solutions.

“The true cost of climate change is not evenly distributed. Communities with the least resources are often the most affected, whether through energy poverty, environmental degradation, or limited access to sustainable alternatives. Addressing this imbalance requires intentional investment in clean energy solutions that are both accessible and scalable.”

Ajide underscored the importance of coordinated, system-wide approaches in tackling climate challenges, particularly through innovation and policy alignment.

“Climate change is fundamentally a structural problem, and its solution requires a paradigm shift: from innovation and policy to financing and implementation. Stakeholders must work collaboratively to drive solutions that are sustainable and inclusive.”

The session also explored emerging opportunities in climate technology, renewable energy, and ecosystem financing, reinforcing the role of innovation and cross-sector collaboration in building long-term resilience.

By hosting the webinar, Unity Bank continues to demonstrate its commitment to advancing sustainability-focused dialogue and supporting initiatives that promote responsible growth and environmental stewardship.

The initiative underscores the Bank’s broader strategic focus on environmental sustainability as well as its commitment to financial inclusion.

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