A credit report is a document that is very important in many ways, and can affect many different areas of your life. The information contained on a credit report is compiled from data that comes from lenders, merchants, and other companies and relates to money you have borrowed, your financial outgoings, finance that you may have been turned down for, and your repayment habits. From the information on your credit report a credit score is compiled, and this can affect your ability to get credit in the future whether it is for a car, a home, or any other type of purchase.
There are three main companies that are responsible for the compilation and maintenance of credit reports, and these are Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion. These companies use the data provided from merchants and lenders in order to make up your report, and the information includes money that you have borrowed or owe to companies, your repayment habits, any missed or late repayments, and bankruptcies or court actions, and other related information.
Whenever you apply for any form of credit, such as a car loan, mortgage, credit card, property rental, and various other types of credit, you may find that a credit search will need to be conducted, and this is done through the use of your credit report. The information on the credit report is what determines your credit rating, and your credit rating is what determines your ability to borrow money in the future.
Because the information on these credit reports is so important to the way your future is shaped, it is vital that you ensure all the information on the report is accurate. Anything from information about a former tenant or homeowner at your address to computer or human error can affect your credit report and rating. Therefore, by ordering a copy of your report on a regular basis and checking to be sure the details are accurate you can ensure that you are not penalized through no fault of your own.