Did you freeze your credit after the Equifax data breach?
If you did and are planning to apply for a mortgage, you will need to lift the freeze for us to process your application.
You must contact each of the three major credit bureaus – Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. You may request a temporary lift for a specific credit grantor, or request a date range lift for a specific period of time, ranging from 1 day to 1 year. A week should be sufficient.
To unfreeze your credit, you’ll need to use the secure PIN that you received when you originally requested a freeze. In most cases, if you make the request by phone or online, the credit bureaus can lift a freeze in as little as 15 minutes, although the Federal Trade Commission gives them up to three business days. If you lose your PIN, you’ll need to contact each bureau individually and can either request a new PIN or permanently lift your freeze.
Be prepared to provide detailed information to verify your identity:
- Your Full Name
- Your Address
- Your Date of Birth
- Your Social Security Number
- Your Security Freeze PIN or password for each credit bureau
- Your account username and password (TransUnion only)
Also have a credit card handy – in some cases, fees do apply. Fees vary by state.
Equifax: https://www.freeze.equifax.com or 1-800-349-9960
TransUnion: https://freeze.transunion.com/sf/securityFreeze/landingPage.jsp or 1-888-909-8872
Experian: https://www.experian.com/ncaconline/removefreeze or 1‑888‑397‑3742
Feel free to contact your CLG Mortgage Consultant with any other questions you have.
