Understanding what’s in your credit report before shopping for the best refinance rates could help you when you speak with loan officers. Even homeowners and home buyers with excellent credit can find errors that could be corrected. Using a service like annualcreditreport.com, you can pull free credit reports  once per calendar year from the major credit bureaus: Equifax, TransUnion, and Experian. Dispute any errors, incorrect information, or duplications. Also, pay down as much debt as possible, such as high-interest credit card balances, to help improve your FICO score ahead of the loan refinance process.