Procuring a credit bureau report is easier than most people think it is. Credit bureau reports could be compared to your DNA-but instead of giving you a physical identity, it gives you a financial identity. Every report is unique to each person, the trick comes in understanding what kind of information Credit Reporting Agencies (CRA's) buy and sell about you. Your credit bureau report contains information about where you live, what you do for a living, where you have applied for credit and how you pay your mortgage, rent, car payment and other credit granted in your name.
The three main CRA's in the United States are Experian (formerly TRW), Trans Union, and Equifax credit report agency. These are the same agencies that you can get your credit report from.
Individuals and companies that have interest in how promptly you pay your bills become members to CRA's. They can be members of one or all of the CRA's. This means that if you have ever applied for credit, you probably have a history with all of them. Landlords, banks, mortgage companies, finance companies, insurance companies, bankcard lenders, retail department stores and even employers are typical members of credit bureaus. Members of CRA's can get credit report information for a fee. This includes your credit information in your report.
Once companies or individuals become members, the first thing that they must do is gain written consent from you to buy information from your credit file. No matter if you are applying for a job, credit or insurance, The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) requires that the agency have consent from you. They then submit the information they gathered and obtain a report on you. They are billed from the CRA, usually on a per-report basis. However, member companies are not allowed to sell your credit report or information that they gathered about you from the Equifax credit report ( if you've received your report from Equifax bureau). In many instances, they aren't even allowed to share the information with you.
Procuring a credit bureau report is easier than most people think it is. Credit bureau reports could be compared to your DNA-but instead of giving you a physical identity, it gives you a financial identity. Every report is unique to each person, the trick comes in understanding what kind of information Credit Reporting Agencies (CRA's) buy and sell about you. Your credit bureau report contains information about where you live, what you do for a living, where you have applied for credit and how you pay your mortgage, rent, car payment and other credit granted in your name.
The three main CRA's in the United States are Experian (formerly TRW), Trans Union, and Equifax credit report agency. These are the same agencies that you can get your credit report from.
Individuals and companies that have interest in how promptly you pay your bills become members to CRA's. They can be members of one or all of the CRA's. This means that if you have ever applied for credit, you probably have a history with all of them. Landlords, banks, mortgage companies, finance companies, insurance companies, bankcard lenders, retail department stores and even employers are typical members of credit bureaus. Members of CRA's can get credit report information for a fee. This includes your credit information in your report.
Once companies or individuals become members, the first thing that they must do is gain written consent from you to buy information from your credit file. No matter if you are applying for a job, credit or insurance, The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) requires that the agency have consent from you. They then submit the information they gathered and obtain a report on you. They are billed from the CRA, usually on a per-report basis. However, member companies are not allowed to sell your credit report or information that they gathered about you from the Equifax credit report ( if you've received your report from Equifax bureau). In many instances, they aren't even allowed to share the information with you.