> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://faq.universalaccountservicing.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# If your credit file is frozen

> Why a freeze stops your application, and how to lift one at TransUnion so we can continue.

A freeze stops anyone from pulling your credit file — including us. Your application cannot move
until it is lifted.

<Warning>
  **Only you can lift it.** We cannot, and neither can the business you are buying from. There is
  no way around this step.
</Warning>

A freeze is something you, or someone acting for you, placed with a credit bureau. It is a
protective measure and it is doing its job. You are not being asked to remove it permanently.

## Lifting it at TransUnion

UAS primarily uses **TransUnion**, so that is the one to start with.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Go to the freeze page or call">
    Online: [transunion.com/credit-freeze](https://www.transunion.com/credit-freeze) — this is the
    **Freeze & Unfreeze Credit** option on TransUnion's
    [Consumer Support page](https://www.transunion.com/customer-support/contact-us-consumers), if
    you would rather start from there.

    By phone: **(833) 395-6938**
  </Step>

  <Step title="On the phone, say &#x22;Lift a Freeze&#x22;">
    The line answers with an automated menu. Saying **"Lift a Freeze"** is what routes you to the
    right option. Callers who cannot find it in the menu often hang up — this is the phrase.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Verify who you are">
    TransUnion will confirm your identity before making any change. Have your Social Security
    Number and current address ready.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Lift it temporarily, not permanently">
    Ask for a temporary lift covering the next few days. That is enough for your application, and
    the freeze goes back on by itself afterward.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Come back and retry your application">
    Once the lift is in place, the retry on your application screen will work.
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Info>
  Lifting a freeze is **free**, and putting it back is free. Online requests are usually immediate;
  by phone it can take a little longer.
</Info>

## The bureaus do not talk to each other

Experian, Equifax and TransUnion each hold a separate file, and a freeze lifted at one is still in
place at the other two. If you froze all three, you may need to lift more than one.

See [your credit file](/your-information/your-credit-file) for all three bureaus' details and for
how to manage a freeze on an ongoing basis.

## A fraud alert is not a freeze

A **fraud alert** does not block anything. It asks whoever is pulling your file to take extra steps
to confirm the request is really from you — usually by calling the phone number you gave the bureau.

If the number on your application matches the one the bureau has, an alert often clears without you
doing anything. If it does not match, you will be asked to
[answer some identity questions](/applying/identity-questions) instead.

## If it still will not go through

If you have lifted the freeze and the application still stops, the freeze is probably not the
problem any more. Check what the screen says now:

* **Unable to Process Application** → [we cannot find your credit report](/applying/unable-to-process-application)
* **Identity Verification** → [answering the identity questions](/applying/identity-questions)
* Still asking you to call → [when you need to call us](/applying/still-pending)

## If nothing is resolved

An application we never retrieve a valid credit report for closes **30 days after you applied**.
The clock runs from your original application date, not from when you discovered the freeze.