Credit glossary
Credit freeze (security freeze)
A free block that stops a credit bureau from releasing your report to new creditors until you lift it.
Federal law (15 U.S.C. 1681c-1(i)) makes freezes free at the nationwide bureaus. A freeze requested online or by phone must be in place within one business day, and a lift requested the same way must happen within one hour. Each bureau is separate, so freezing all three takes three requests, and specialty companies such as ChexSystems, NCTUE, Innovis and LexisNexis run their own freeze programs.
A freeze doesn't block everything. Your existing creditors, prescreened offer marketers, insurers, employment and tenant screeners, and you can still get reports, and the CFPB says a freeze doesn't affect your scores. Before applying for credit, ask which bureau the lender uses and lift only that one for a few days. The CFPB also says paid credit locks are no more effective than free freezes.
Guides that go deeper
- Credit freeze vs. fraud alert vs. credit lock: what each one stopsA freeze blocks new-credit pulls by law, a fraud alert only adds an ID check, and a lock is a bureau product with its own terms. How to pick the right one.
- Freezing all the bureaus, including the ones nobody mentionsEquifax, Experian and TransUnion are three of the freezes you need. The other four, with each company's own freeze link, phone and mail address.
Sources
- 15 U.S.C. 1681c-1(i): Security freeze, Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School
- What is a credit freeze or security freeze on my credit report?, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
- What To Know About Credit Freezes and Fraud Alerts, Federal Trade Commission
This is education, not legal or financial advice. Spot an error? Tell us and we'll fix it.