Your credit reports are the records behind many lending and credit decisions. Find out how to obtain, read, compare, and correct reports from Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion, including what belongs there, why files differ, how long items remain, and how to challenge errors.
A mixed credit file contains information belonging to more than one consumer because a credit reporting company matched data to the wrong person. Accounts belonging to another person with the same or a similar name are a common example of […]
Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion maintain separate credit files, so your three reports do not have to match line for line. Creditors are not required to report to every bureau, and those that do furnish information may update the bureaus on
Medical debt has not been completely removed from U.S. credit reports. As of 2026, the three nationwide credit bureaus exclude paid medical collection debt and medical collections with an initial reported balance under $500. Unpaid medical collections generally do not
Your credit report is not public information. Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), a consumer reporting company generally may provide a report only when the requester has a legally permissible purpose. Common examples include a credit application, review or
An account may be missing because the creditor does not furnish information to credit reporting companies, reports to only one or two bureaus, or has not sent the latest account data yet. Federal law does not generally require an ordinary
Most negative information can generally stay on a credit report for about seven years. Bankruptcies can remain for up to 10 years, while hard inquiries typically remain for up to two years. Good-standing information can stay longer: closed accounts that
Your credit report is the detailed record of your reported credit activity and current credit accounts. Scores are separate numerical estimates calculated from credit-report information using particular scoring models. You can have credit reports from Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion, and
When a credit report contains inaccurate or incomplete information, dispute it with the credit reporting company that shows the error and include documents that explain exactly what is wrong. A nationwide credit bureau generally has 30 days to investigate, with
You can get free credit reports from Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion through AnnualCreditReport.com, and the three bureaus have made online weekly access permanent. Credit reports contain the underlying account and payment-history data; they are not credit scores. Review all three
Read each credit report in the same order: confirm your identifying information, review every account and balance, inspect collections and public-record information, then check inquiries. Compare Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion because the files can differ. Inaccurate or incomplete information should
Hard inquiries usually appear when you apply for new credit and a lender checks your credit file for that application; they can modestly affect a score for a limited period. Soft inquiries—including checking your own credit and many prescreening or
