[JonW]

OK, I don't normally send out "public service announcements", but since you guys are on the topic of credit here, I think this is worthwhile.

A new U.S. Federal law went into effect on 12/01/2004 that gives you access to receive free credit reports every 12 months from each of the 3 national credit reporting agencies. This is not the same as all the so-called "free" offers that spammers send. This is legitimate and setup by the FTC. The only downside here is that since this is such a huge undertaking for the FTC, they are phasing it in and only the Western states are currently able to access this. Check the links at the FTC's website to see when your states will be eligible.

For additional information, visit the FTC's website at:
http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/credit/freereports.htm (press release - facts for consumers)
http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/edcams/credit/ycr_free_reports.htm (how to obtain your report)

You can also review the FAQ's (frequently asked questions) at:
https://www.annualcreditreport.com/cra/helpfaq

If you've never looked at your own credit report (or its been a while), this is now an excellent opportunity to do it for free.

- Jon