Your credit report is actually a credit history, similar to an “adult report card”. Credit reports are created and maintained by private companies called Consumer Reporting Agencies (CRA), commonly known as credit bureaus. The three major credit bureaus in the United States and Canada are:

Equifax
P.O. Box 740241
Atlanta, GA 30374
1-800-685-1111

Experian (In Canada: North Credit Bureaus – an Experian company)
P.O. Box 2002
Allen, TX 75013
1-888-397-3742

TransUnion
P.O. Box 1000
Chester, PA 19022
1-800-888-4213

Your credit report is created from many different sources including companies that have granted credit to you, currently or in the past. If you are late in making payments, those to whom you owe money such as utilities, hospitals, landlords and others may report this information to the credit bureaus. Your bank may inform the credit bureaus if you overdraw your account or do not make credit card, auto loan, or mortgage payments on time. Your credit report may also contain information about delinquent child support payments. Items of public record, such as tax liens, bankruptcies and judgments, can also appear on the credit reports.

Your credit report contains your name and any name variations, your current and previous addresses, telephone number, Social Security number, year and month of birth, and employment information.

Per the provisions of the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), certain pieces of personal information cannot be in your credit report:

Debts and late payments that are more than seven years old.

Notice of bankruptcy that is more than ten years old.

Marital status, race, income, national origin, religious preference.

The FCRA also states that the consumer reporting agencies shall follow reasonable procedures to assure maximum possible accuracy of the information concerning the individual about whom the report relates. However, because many credit reports do have errors, consumers need to be proactive in checking for accuracy. Click here for information to get your free credit reports.