How can a consumer obtain their free annual credit reports under the FACT Act?

• A. By requesting a free report from each of the three nationwide CRAs after verifying identity
• B. By paying a fee to the CRAs
• C. By submitting a written request to the Federal Trade Commission
• D. By visiting a bank branch and requesting a report

Answer: (A)

Under the FACT Act, consumers are entitled to one free credit report per year from each of the three nationwide credit reporting agencies—Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion—after verifying their identity. This means you can obtain up to three free reports annually if you request them from all three agencies. The standard, official way to get these reports is through annualcreditreport.com, with options to request online, by phone, or by mail. The other choices don’t fit because the law provides the reports at no charge, the FTC doesn’t issue consumer reports, and visiting a bank branch isn’t how you obtain the annual free reports.