credit bureaus
Financial history trackers
Credit bureaus are companies that collect financial information about individuals—payment history, outstanding debts, credit accounts—and compile it into credit reports.
Lenders, landlords, and employers use these reports to assess risk.
In the United States, the three major credit bureaus are Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion.
I checked my credit report from all three bureaus before applying for a mortgage.
Consumer credit monitor
- ExperianCredit reporting company
- TransUnionCredit reporting company
- FICOCreditworthiness rating system
- creditworthinessAbility to repay debts
public records · hard inquiry · soft inquiry · payment history · collections · bankruptcy · charge-off · late payments
Warnings of suspicious transactions
- identity theftStealing personal data criminally
- dispute resolutionSettling conflicts formally
- identity verificationConfirming someone's claimed self
- fraud preventionStopping dishonest financial activity
data breach · suspicious activity · error correction · consumer rights
Those who provide loans
- loansBorrowed money arrangements
- mortgagesLoans secured by property
- underwritingRisk evaluation and acceptance
- risk assessmentEvaluating likelihood of harm
interest rates · debt · debt-to-income · pre-approval · creditworthy
Equifax
Consumer credit monitor
- ExperianCredit reporting company
- TransUnionCredit reporting company
- FICOCreditworthiness rating system
creditworthiness · public records · hard inquiry · soft inquiry · payment history · collections · bankruptcy · charge-off · late payments
fraud alerts
Warnings of suspicious transactions
- identity theftStealing personal data criminally
- dispute resolutionSettling conflicts formally
- identity verificationConfirming someone's claimed self
fraud prevention · data breach · suspicious activity · error correction · consumer rights
lenders
Those who provide loans
- loansBorrowed money arrangements
- mortgagesLoans secured by property
- underwritingRisk evaluation and acceptance
risk assessment · interest rates · debt · debt-to-income · pre-approval · creditworthy
- creditcreditworthiness, creditworthy, FICO, FICO score, microcredit
- Credit ReportsEquifax, Experian, TransUnion, FICO, FICO score
- US Governmentexecutive branch, legislative branch, judicial branch, Congress, House
- Consumer Creditinterest rates, personal loans, installment loans, secured loans, unsecured loans
- intermediariesmiddleman, middlemen, go-between, go-betweens, broker
credit bureauslenders
Those who provide loans
banks · mortgage lenders · creditors · financial institutions · credit unions
credit bureausloan sharks
Illegal high-interest lenders
underground economy · cash economy · peer-to-peer lending · family loans
credit, bureau, credits, credited, crediting, creditor, creditors, creditable, accredit