Answer: -Once a year, you can get one free credit report from each of the three major credit reporting agencies: Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. For more information about this go to www.annualcreditreport.com. -Annualcreditreport.com is free give you reports from the 3 bureaus and maybe acquired on line or through the mail.They will charge for a "real" FICO. You will likely need one from all 3 bureaus unless you know what your targeted lender uses. The problem with getting one from a lender is you lose 5 - 15 points from inquiries while the ones you pay for cost you zero FICO points. It is worth the 10 - 15 bucks. -You can get a free credit report if you go to the bank and apply for a loan and are turned down. Bring the written info to a local credit bureau and they will give it to you free of charge.