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3 in 1 Credit Reports

“3 Bureau Reports”: Get the Full Picture of Your Credit History

What is the significance of a 3 bureau report?  A credit bureau is a company that collects information on a consumer’s financial history.  Each bureau gets their information from a variety of sources, which are called data furnishers.  Data furnishers consist of many creditors, from commercial stores to credit card companies to utility companies, car dealerships or apartment owners.  The information provided by the creditors to the bureaus will help future lenders assess an applicant’s creditworthiness.  Creditworthiness will not only determine whether or not to take a chance on an applicant; it will also determine a loan’s interest rates and terms. 

According to the Federal Trade Commission’s Fair Credit Reporting Act, all consumers are entitled to receive one free copy of their credit history per year.  This right extends to every consumer and to each of the three major credit bureaus; namely, Experian, TransUnion and Equifax.  These commercial companies, as well as online companies that sell similar products, may charge for unlimited credit access as well as additional features like a credit score and credit monitoring services.  Credit monitoring services will email consumers directly whenever there is a change on the credit file. 

Some companies may also offer a locking option, to prevent unauthorized use of credit.  Why is this feature of importance to some?  Because the more a credit history is run, the lower the score will be, as this indicates to lenders there could be a problem.  This is why it may be worth paying for credit monitoring because this automatic service will keep you informed of any changes made.  This way you don’t have to randomly check your file on multiple occasions.

You want a comprehensive credit report when you run your file and so relying on a 3 bureau report gives you information from all three major companies.  Without a 3 bureau report, you may only be getting information from one set of data furnishers.  That means that a report from Experian may not include some charges found on Equifax or TransUnion.  A 3 bureau report lets you see all of the bureau files for free, as you are permitted to request files from each company once every 12 months.

Be sure to contact all 3 major credit bureaus individually or order a 3 bureau report, so you can get the most accurate information.  In this day and age where fraud is common and the economy is in trouble, it’s very important to protect your name and financial reputation.