You can obtain a report by calling TransUnion, Equifax, TRW or another credit bureau. It is important that you initiate this step well in advance of seeking a loan. Personal credit reports may contain errors or be out of date. In many cases, people find that they paid off a bill but that it has not been recorded on their credit report. You want to make sure that when the bank pulls your credit report that all the errors have been corrected and your history is up to date.
Many people receive their credit reports yet have no idea what the strange numbers signify.
The following should help in interpreting and checking your personal credit report. First, check your name, social security number and address at the top of the page. Make sure these are correct. There are people who have found that they have credit information from another person because of mistakes in their identification information. On the rest of your credit report you will see a list of all the credit you have obtained in the past - credit cards, mortgages, student loans, etc.