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Credit reportsYour personal credit report contains details about your financial behavior as well as identification information. Your credit report, also called a credit file or a credit history can help you understand what creditors see when they review your credit for potential loans. The typical consumer credit report includes four types of information; public record information, credit information, credit inquiries and personal information.Public record information includes information of public record like bankruptcy filings, unpaid tax liens and, in some states, overdue child support. Bankruptcy information can remain on your credit report up to 10 years; unpaid tax liens can remain for up to 15 years and other public record information can remain for up to seven years. Credit information includes account specific information like the date opened, credit limit/loan amount, balance, monthly payment and payment pattern. Your credit report also states whether anyone besides you (a joint account holder or cosigner, for example) is responsible for paying the account. Active positive credit information may remain on your report indefinitely, while most negative information can remain up to seven years. Credit inquiries (requests by others to view your credit history) will tell you who has requested and received information from your credit report and who was given your name recently. According to the Fair Credit Reporting Act, for certain purposes, credit grantors may inquire about your credit information without your prior consent. The information provided includes the date of the inquiry and how long it will remain on your report. Personal information may include your name(s), your current and previous addresses, telephone number, reported variations of your Social Security number, date of birth and current and previous employers. "Statements of dispute" may also be added by you or your creditors. When you dispute the status of an account, your creditor reports a temporary dispute statement. The statement is no longer reported when the dispute is resolved, usually within 30 days. If you cannot resolve a dispute, you may have a statement added to your credit history. The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) requires that credit reporting agencies add statements when requested. These statements display to anyone who reviews your credit history and remain for seven years. Credit reports do not contain data about race, religious preference, medical history, political preference, personal lifestyle, friends, sexual orientation, criminal record or any other information unrelated to credit, nor do they contain information about your checking or savings accounts.
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