What’s in a consumer credit report?
The report consists of four types of information. First, identifying information is listed at the top of the report, such as name, last reported address, marital status, Social Security Number, date of birth, spouse’s name, number of dependents, previous address, and employment information. This is a security measure to help ensure the right credit report is sent to the right person. Next is a listing of the consumer’s credit information including credit account numbers, the creditor’s name, the amount of last payment, the credit limit of the account and the timeliness of the credit payments. This is the most important segment of the report because creditors like to see timely payments of credit card and loan obligations. Third, on some reports there is a listing of public record information. This includes tax liens, court judgements, and bankruptcies. These are important to a lender because they are legally mandated debt obligations. Finally, there is an inquiry section that notes all
