Your Credit Report - What Is It?

Your Credit Report

Current and prospective creditors need information in order to help you make purchases, secure loans, pay for college educations and manage your personal finances. Your credit report provides this information. Through credit reporting, it is possible for stores to accept your checks. It also helps banks to offer credit and debit cards. Credit reports help businesses to market products, and corporations to better manage their operations to benefit the world's economy.

Only when you or a lender makes an inquiry is a credit report compiled. Credit reporting agencies compile the information from lenders, you and court records and put this information in a file. Then this information is gathered from the file and presented in a report format for the requester.

Updates from credit grantors are sent to each of the credit reporting agencies, usually once a month. Information about how their customers use and pay their accounts is included in these updates. This is also reported on the credit report.

Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, you may be entitled to receive a free copy of your personal credit report if you have been declined credit, housing or employment in the last 60 days. To request your free copy of your credit report , ask your mortgage company or contact one of the credit reporting agencies directly.