Credit bureaus gather and sell credit information about consumers and are a principal source of information about your credit history. Creditors usually rely on credit bureau reports before issuing a line of credit. So it makes sense to ask your local credit bureaus for your report. You can find them listed in the telephone Yellow Pages under "Credit Bureaus" or "Credit Reporting Agencies." The bureaus will report whatever they have on file, which might include what kinds of credit accounts you have, how punctually you pay your bills, and whether you have ever filed for bankruptcy or were sued. The report may include other credit references that you can use in new credit applications to give a more complete picture of your financial situation. See our Brochure on Fair Credit Reporting.

Some credit references may not appear in your file simply because the creditor may not report the information to the credit bureaus. Credit bureaus obtain most of their information from those creditors who send them monthly reports. Some creditors only report delinquent accounts; accounts with good payment histories may go unreported. Most major national credit card companies report their accounts to credit bureaus, but many local creditors do not.