WASHINGTON — Fewer than half of high school seniors surveyedknow that the three nationwide consumer credit reporting companiesare required to provide consumers with a free copy of their creditreport, according to study conducted by the Jump$tart Coalition forPersonal Financial Literacy.

Only 47.7% of the high school students knew they could checktheir credit report for free once a year. College students didbetter–nearly three-quarters of them knew about the free creditreport–but overall, the research seems to indicate a lack ofknowledge in this area, the coalition concluded.

NAFCU is providing statement inserts so that credit unions canhelp inform their members about the availability of free creditreports and the dangers of identify theft–described by some as oneof the fastest growing crimes in America.