What Makes Up a Credit Report?

The Juicy Details

A credit report is a record of your credit activities. Information that makes up your credit report includes:

  • Personal identifying information - This includes your name, address (current and previous), social security number, telephone number, birth date, your current and previous employers, and (on the version you get) your spouse's name may be included as well.
  • Credit history - This section includes your bill-paying history with banks, retail stores, finance companies, mortgage companies, and others who have granted you credit. It includes information about each account you have, such as when it was opened, what type of account it is, how much credit it includes (or the amount of the loan), what your monthly payment is, etc. This section also tells if you've closed the account, the loan has been paid off, or if you missed any payments.
  • Public records - Information that might indicate your credit worthiness, such as tax liens, child support, court judgments and bankruptcies. This information is readily available for the public to access online.
  • Report inquiries - This section includes all credit granters who have received a copy of your credit report. It also includes any others who were authorized to view it. In addition, lists of companies that have received your name and address in order to offer you credit are included. These companies don't actually see your report, but get your name if you meet their criteria for an offer of credit, insurance or other product. This is where all of those "pre-approved" credit card offers come from.
  • Dispute statements - The report may also include any statements you've made disputing information on the report. Most credit bureaus allow both the consumer and the creditor to make statements to report what happened if there is a dispute about something on the report.

Things that don't appear on most credit reports include:

  • Bank account balances
  • Race
  • Religion
  • Health (although medical bills may show up as debts)
  • Criminal records
  • Income
  • Driving records
Disclaimer: The information provided in this site is not legal advice. All information is general information, some of which pertains to legal issues involved in the subject matter. Credit Matters Inc. is not a law firm and is not a substitute for an attorney or law firm. Your access to and use of this site is subject to additional terms and conditions.