As of September 1, 2005 residents of New York and New Jersey can now get a free credit report. You still may have to pay to get your "credit score" which is a number (850 maximum) that is used by mortgage companies auto loans etc.

Even if you don't need a loan now, you can find out if there are errors and attempt to repair your credit before you really need a loan. 3 major credit companies have create the site called AnnualCreditReport.com (click to enter)