A credit report is a document that shows a person’s credit payment history. The history is gathered from lenders that report your payment history to credit bureaus. Everybody from landlords to the banks that hold a person’s mortgage can report a person’s payment history to a credit bureau.

There are currently three major credit bureaus that are responsible for reporting credit in the Unites States of America. These three credit bureaus are TransUnion, Experian, and Equifax. Many of the larger financial institutions will report your payment history to all three of these credit bureaus. Smaller institutions and businesses may only report to one of these bureaus or to none at all. This is why your credit report from one credit bureau may not be the same as your credit report from another bureau.

Your FICO score is calculated by reports from all three credit bureaus. This is the credit score that most lenders are concerned about. Some lenders may only check a report from one of the three credit bureaus, but for larger purchases like a home or a car, your FICO score is what will be used to determine your credit worthiness.

You can check your credit report from each of the three credit bureaus and make sure that the information contained in your credit report is accurate. If the information is not accurate, you can dispute it and they will take it off if it is proven to be false. It is up to you to make sure that lenders are reporting accurate information to the credit bureaus. The credit bureaus will only check the validity of the information if you call it into question.