Who Are the Credit Reporting Agencies?

There are three major credit reporting agencies: Trans Union, Experian, and Equifax. They are sometimes referred to as "The Big Three" because they are the largest credit agencies in business.

What do the credit reporting agencies do?
The credit reporting agencies have two main jobs: they collect information about your payment habits from the creditors who you do business with, and they report that information on your credit report. This information can be accessed by credit card companies, banks, and other creditors who want to evaluate your credit history before they extend credit to you or do business with you. They also need your permission to view your report. Then they can decide whether or not they want to extend credit to you based on the information on your report.

How do the credit reporting agencies obtain information about me?
Each month the lenders and creditors who you do business with send the payment status of your account to the credit reporting agencies. If you made your payment on time then the lender will report this, and if you made a late payment, then that will be reported as well. Some other information that can be reported is multiple late payments (90 days, 120 days, etc) charge offs, repossessions, foreclosures, tax liens, etc. Each of these marks has either a positive (payments made on time) or negative affect on your credit report. If you have a clean report then lenders see you as a favorable candidate for loans, credit cards, etc. If you have late payments or other negative items then you will be seen as a risk for non-payment.

What are my rights with the credit reporting agencies?
Thanks to the Fair Credit Reporting Act, you have the right to obtain a free annual credit report. You should always take advantage of this so you can see what's on your report and make sure there is no inaccurate information. Identity theft is also on the rise and many people have no idea that they have been a victim until they view their report.

To order your free annual credit report, just visit annualcreditreport.com, or call them at 1-877-322-8228. You may also may a request in writing by filling out the Annual Credit Report Request Form and mail it to: Annual Credit Report Request Service, P.O. Box 105281, Atlanta, GA 30348-5281.

You also have the right to challenge and inaccurate or out-of-date information on your credit report by writing to each of the credit reporting agencies. They have 30 days to investigate and respond to your dispute.

Here is the contact information for the credit reporting agencies:
Experian
PO Box 9556
Allen TX 75013
888-397-3742

Equifax
PO Box 740256
Atlanta, GA 30374
800-997-2493

TransUnion
PO Box 2000
Chester, PA 19022-2000
800-888-4213