A credit report is a record of how you have paid your bills, where you live, and whether you've been sued or filed for bankruptcy. A credit report also shows any monthly debt you might have, your loan repayment history, for example, if you have made payments on time, or if you have not paid back some loans at all. You credit card balances and credit limit.

Credit reports are compiled by the 3 credit-reporting agencies. The typical credit report includes four sections of information:

1. Identifying information: This section of the report contains information about yourself. Your name, current and previous addresses, telephone number, Social Security number, date of birth, and current and previous employers. Usually the information this section of your credit report comes from your credit applications or when you report them directly to the credit bureaus..

2. Credit information: Specific details about your credit cards, student loans, and other loans. This information includes the date opened, credit limit or loan amount, balance, and monthly payment. This section of your credit report also shows your payment history during the past several years, and the names of anyone else responsible for paying the account, such as a spouse or a co-signer. Also in this section are late payments, skipped payments, accounts turned over to a collection agency, and repossessions. Information in this section of your credit report comes from companies you do business with.

 

 

3. Public record information: This section contains information about you that are public record (on file at a court, or county records). Information like, bankruptcy records, foreclosures, tax liens for unpaid taxes, monetary court judgments (such as lawsuits), and, in some states, overdue child support. This information comes from public records.

4. Inquiries: The last section, contains the names of those who obtained a copy of your credit report and how often you have applied for credit in the past two years. In this section of your credit report, you may also see the names of companies that have reviewed your report for "pre-approved" credit offers. You shouldn't worry about that because those names are not given to creditors who request a copy of your report. Creditors will only see the inquiries you initiate when you apply for a new credit.

What you should know about credit reports.

Credit Reports

 

 

How to order a free credit report	Dealing with Credit bureaus
How to repair bad credit yourself	Profile of a Perfect Credit
How to Improving your credit score	Credit & Marriage
How to dispute negative credit	Know your legal rights