How often do I get reports from Annual Credit Report?

[Subexistence]

I'd like to pull it in order to get my soft pulls. If I pull it today, will I be able to pull again in Januray 1st 2019?

[Anonymous]

I know it's once per year, but I'm not sure if it goes by 365 days or simply 12 months... anyone?

[Anonymous]

If you get any AA for any reason, you can always get a fresh paper report.  So if you're denied a CLI, get a fresh paper report.

I have at least 3 dozen paper reports from 2017 total because of various CLI denials, lol.

[Subexistence]

Can I get them for soft pull denials?

[Anonymous]

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@Subexistence wrote:

Can I get them for soft pull denials?

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If they send you a letter (mail, SM, whatever) that says they denied you a CLI based on whatever bureau, you can get a new paper report.  Even if it's a SP denial, yes.

[Anonymous]

ABCD: Do you request online or via snail mail? I've saw some denials reference the bureaus website while other just reference the bureaus address.

[RobertEG]

Requests to a CRA for a free copy of a credit report based on a denial of new or extended credit are required to be accompanied by a copy of the denial letter from the creditor.  That denial letter is necessary in order to show the CRA that they were idenfied by the creditor as being a CRA they used in their denial process, and also to establish timeliness of the request.  The request for a free copy from the CRA must be sent within 60 days of the date of the denial letter.

In view of the requirment to include a copy of the denial letter, it is usually best to send snail-mail.

[Anonymous]

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@Anonymous wrote:

If you get any AA for any reason, you can always get a fresh paper report.

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An issuer making a credit line decrease (CLD) is a species of Adverse Action (AA).  But it does not sound like it is covered by the language mentioned by RobertEG ("based on a denial of new or extended credit"). 

Can ABCD or RobertEG (or anyone else) comment?  Last year I had a couple CLDs (this can happen to people with scores in the 800s) but I am guessing that this would not have entitled me to a free report.

PS.  For anyone interested in getting extra copies of one's full credit reports, the first thing to look into is whether your state gives you the right to have extra reports:

https://www.creditcards.com/credit-card-news/7-states-where-residents-get-extra-free-credit-report-1282.php

[Anonymous]

RobertEG answered that question in 2014: http://ficoforums.myfico.com/t5/General-Credit-Topics/Requesting-Credit-Reports-after-CLI-denial/td-...

I confirmed it in writing with TU and EX as well in 2017.

[Anonymous]

I looked through that thread, and it all seemed to have to do with a creditor responding to a consumer initiated request with a denial.

I am talking about a situation where a consumer hasn't initiated any requests: no CLI requests, for example.  Rather, the CC issuer decides on his own steam that it wants to lower your credit limit on a particular card.  (That could be for a lot of reasons, largely proprietary, including periodic assessments of risk, of that particular card, of your particular profitability, etc.) 

The key thing is that the issuer (in its CLD) isn't responding to a request for credit from you. 

Has RobertEG addressed that scenario somewhere?  Has it happened to you -- and were you then able to get a free report?  How did that work?