Activity: Writing Letters to Credit Bureaus

Dulany Alexander, Operation Bootstrap, Lynn, MA

Description of the Process

The students used a word processor to write a letter to a credit bureau requesting a copy of their credit history. They followed a format suggested by a local TV channel: full name, date of birth, Social Security number, spouse’s name, spouse’s Social Security number, five years of previous addresses, current employer, day phone number, and evening phone number. They then used the cut-and-paste tool on the computer to revise their letters.

Students who had a credit history made copies of a utility bill or driver’s license to establish their identity and then mailed the letters, but even those who had no credit history chose to go through the entire process.

They sent their requests for credit histories to the following companies:

Equifax
P.O. Box 740241
Atlanta, GA 30374-0241

Experian (formerly TRW)
P.O. Box 9600
Allen, TX 75013-0949

Trans Union Corp.
P.O. Box 1000
Chester, PA 19022

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