You’ve likely heard people say ‘three bureau credit report’ but have you ever wondered just what it is and why it is important?
Inside the United States the three major credit bureau firms are Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. Each of these private firms keeps a credit file on you containing private information (such as your name, address and details of your work); details of your payment history on credit card accounts, mortgages, vehicle loans and other loan arrangements; details of any official documentation concerning your money affairs (such as notices of bankruptcy and court judgments) and details of any inquires made to the company by creditors concerning your monetary standing.
As well as the credit file maintained on you, each company also uses its own formula to calculate a credit history for you which is designed to give potential lenders an indication of your credit rating and therefore of the danger that they might be taking if they were to grant you a loan or extend credit to you.
It is important to grasp that these three firms all operate independently of each other and the info held by each, and the credit history calculated by each, may very well differ. Generally, most major banks, such as banks and Mastercard companies, furnish info to all three companies but many smaller banks, such as local shops which issue their own store cards, may very well only provide information to one of the three firms.
You are entitled to request a copy of your credit score from each of these companies annually free and more often if you want for a price. But to make life slightly simpler it is also feasible to obtain a three bureau credit report which enables you to view the contents of all three credit reports in a single document.
Hence why is this important?
The contents of your credit history files will determine whether you are able to obtain credit in the future perhaps to buy a house, a new auto or help to pay for a child’s school education. What could be worse than trying for a loan to buy your new perfect home to find you’re turned down due to your credit history?
Building and managing a good credit score should be a vital part of your general financial planning throughout life and this means making sure that you have the best possible credit history on file with each of the three credit office firms.
Your starting point should thus be to obtain a three bureau credit report and check the info currently recorded is true. Companies do make mistakes and it is not unknown for folks with good finance standing to have a poor credit score because of blunders on their credit history files. You should therefore check the report carefully and take steps to fix any screw-ups to make sure that your credit files are correct, thus avoiding the need for debt assistance.
Having established that your credit history is accurate, or taken steps to correct any inaccuracies, you must then work to reach the best possible credit score and, most significantly, keep a watch on your credit history be requesting copies of your three bureau credit report at regular intervals.