The first step with each new client is to obtain fresh new reports from all three bureaus. In this article, you will learn how to handle and obtain your client’s credit reports.
Table of contents:
To start, make sure you have the following:
Can I order reports on behalf of my client?
The first step with each new client is to obtain fresh new reports from all 3 bureaus, but the question we’re often asked is:
Question: Who orders the reports and where do you order them from?
Answer: When a client orders their own reports, they don’t suffer a hit on their score. Your clients must order the reports.
We asked some of the biggest credit repair firms and there are basically two ways they handle report ordering:
Most companies have the client sign up for Credit monitoring and then they ask the client for their login details and security word.
Other companies have the clients sign a power of attorney letter and order the reports for them, but that's rare because these providers do not want credit repair companies ordering credit reports for clients. These are consumer services.
No credit report provider will allow a credit repair company to "pull reports" for Credit Repair clients. It's against their terms of service. Yes, if you're a mortgage broker or auto dealer, you will already have access to professional services to pull reports and FICO scores for your mortgage/auto clients, but doing this will also cause a hit on the client's score, which your clients won't like very much.
Supported Credit Report providers
Our software can import credit items from these credit report providers:
Credit Hero Score (Recommended)
Explore all its benefits here!
IdentityIQ
SmartCredit
MyFreeScoreNow
MyScoreIQ
PrivacyGuard
Most of these providers charge $1 for a trial with instant access to all 3 reports and scores. We recommend that you have your clients maintain their credit monitoring service for as long as necessary, as this will help you through the credit dispute process.
What if your client gives you a report that isn't one of these listed?
Adding dispute items manually is useful when you have a client’s credit report that can’t be imported. Click here to learn how to use the Dispute Wizard to add credit items manually.
What you can do now: