Credit Reporting Agencies

Credit reporting agencies maintain electronic records of your credit activities. Today, there are three major national credit bureaus: Equifax, Experian and Trans Union. If you are planning on applying for a loan or credit anytime in the near future, it's a good idea to obtain a copy of your credit report.

Several different credit reporting agencies exist, and different creditors can prefer to work with specific ones or with all of them. While many people know that credit reporting agencies exist, they may not be sure as to exactly what services these agencies perform.

One of the major duties of credit reporting agencies is to compile reports from creditors in order to establish a credit history for the individuals that they receive the reports on. Each time you make a payment on time, there is a good chance that a positive report will be sent to at least one (and sometimes all) of the credit reporting agencies. When you miss payments, a negative report might be sent.

If you have been denied credit based on information in your credit report (the creditor must provide a reason for denial), you have 60 days from the day you receive a denial notice to receive a free copy of the credit report. Additionally, the law also entitles you to receive a free credit report every 12 months if you are unemployed and seeking work within the next 60 days, are on welfare or if your report is inaccurate as a result of credit fraud.

A bit more detailed than your credit score, credit reporting agencies also produce full credit reports for those creditors or employers who request them. These reports show your credit score as well as a listing of the reports that you've received over a period of time... this time can vary from 6 months to several years. You can also request a copy of your own credit report, either by ordering it from a credit agency or by applying for a free credit report via certain government agencies (depending upon where you live) or credit monitoring services who in turn will try to sell you a subscription to their service which tells you when changes are made to your credit report.