Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, September 13, 1993 TAG: 9309110010
SECTION: MONEY PAGE: 6 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Mag Poff
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
How do I contact them to get a copy of my credit report and then make the necessary corrections?
A: Credit reporting agencies are required by law to give you a free copy of your credit record if you were rejected for credit within the past 60 days because of that report. Otherwise, you have to pay a nominal fee for a copy.
Ronald Ernest, president of Credit Marketing and Management Association of Roanoke, said there are three national credit reporting agencies. Each collects credit information on consumers nationwide.
The Roanoke association is affiliated with Equifax Corp. The others are TRW Corp. and Trans Union Corp. Each of them is likely to have a credit report for you, especially if you do business with national companies.
You can see the Equifax report, Ernest said, by going to the association office at 5240 Valley Park Drive at Valleypointe business park. The hours are 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Unless you have been rejected for credit in the past 60 days, the fee is $5.
In the near future, Ernest said, you will be able to see the reports of the other agencies there as well. But that it not true now.
Equifax also has a toll-free number if you want to call the agency directly in Atlanta. The number is (800) 685-1111.
You can write TRW at P.O. Box 742872, Dallas, Texas 75243. Or you can call toll-free (800) 422-4879.
You can reach Trans Union Corp. at P.O. Box 8070, North Olmstead, Ohio 44070. Trans Union has only a toll number: (216) 779-7200.
If you pay off bills, the information should be recorded automatically by the creditor, but you are wise to check.
The credit reporting agency must check any information you provide and correct any mistakes. You also have the right to add a 250-word statement to your report if you feel the information is inadequate or if you believe there are mitigating circumstances.
It's a good idea for people to check their credit reports every few years.
The law and cemetery plots
Q: Approximately in the late 1940s, I purchased two cemetery plots and, in the meantime, my first wife and I divorced. I called her and asked if she had the deed. She promised to return my call but never did. I talked with my son, who said she called him and wanted to keep the plots. So she apparently found the deed, which is in both of our names.
What are my legal rights concerning this matter?
A: You may well wind up in court if the monetary or emotional value is high enough to offset the expense.
Michael Ferguson, a lawyer with the Roanoke firm of Osterhoudt, Ferguson, Natt, Aheron & Agee, said cemetery deeds sometimes have unusual provisions that might cover a divorce. It's unfortunate that you probably cannot get to see this deed under the circumstances.
As a general rule, Ferguson said, people who are divorced own joint property as tenants in common. This is the same relationship that two people would have if they had never been married and are unrelated. Both names are on the deed, so you are joint owners.
If the plots are worth a substantial amount, he said, you could petition the court to divide the property between you. Each of you would then presumably own one plot.
If the plots are not subject to division, you could ask the court to order sale of the property. The money raised through the sale would then be divided between you.
You might also check your divorce decree to determine whether ownership was allocated in the property settlement. If you were given ownership or if the plots were divided between you, you might petition the court to enforce the decree. Your first step in either case would be to see a lawyer to enforce your right to ownership of half the property - subject to anything the deed itself might say.
Vintage magazine value
Q: What is the true value of Saturday Evening Post magazines dating back to 1905? We have input that it ranges from the artist's popularity to the ads in the magazine, rather than the magazine itself.
We have explored the library and studied the artists, but we cannot locate any source as to the value. In fact, we have contacted various antique dealers and they are puzzled.
A: A&S Book Co., at 274 West 43rd St. in New York City, carries the full run of the Saturday Evening Post dating back to the late 1800s.
A spokesman there said the retail value for issues dated from 1905 until 1930 would be $15 to $20 an issue, depending on the condition of the magazine.
Issues from the 1930s forward range from $8 to $15, he said, again depending on the condition.
The exception, he said, is any cover painted by the late Norman Rockwell, a very popular artist. Those covers, he said, fetch $20 to $30, depending on the condition and the cover.
That is the price for retail sale. If you dispose of them through a dealer at wholesale, you could expect about half as much.
If you have that many issues, you have a very valuable collection no matter how you sell it.
If you want more information from the store, the number is (212) 695-4897.
Mag Poff will help find answers to your personal finance questions. Send them to her at the Roanoke Times & World-News, P.O. Box 2491, Roanoke 24010.
by CNB