A consumer credit report contains four types of
information: identifying information, credit information, public record
information, and inquiries.
Identifying information includes:
- Your name
- Your current and previous addresses
- Your Social Security number
- Your year of birth
- Your current and previous employers
- If you're married, your spouse's name
 Credit information includes
credit accounts or loans you have with:
- Banks
- Retailers
- Credit card issuers
- Other lenders
Public record information includes any information
that's contained in state and county court records, like:
- Bankruptcies
- Tax liens
- Monetary judgments
Inquiries indicate to other credit grantors
that you have applied for new credit that could result in additional debt.
Potential lenders view multiple recent inquiries on your credit report as a sign
that you are overextending yourself.
(A credit risk score may also be
included when your report is provided to a credit grantor, although it is not
included on consumer review reports. The ways to calculate and use a credit
score vary widely, so a score has little meaning outside of the context of a
particular lender's unique guidelines for use. Therefore, it is not included on
consumer review reports.)
Does a Credit Report
Contain Other, Unrelated Personal Information?
No. Your consumer
credit report does not contain information about your race, religious
preference, medical history, personal lifestyle, personal background, political
preference or criminal record.
How long Does
Information Stay on My Credit Report?
Positive credit information
remains on your report indefinately, although information about an account will
cycle off your report if no new information is reported about it for seven
years. (Thus, a closed account will disappear from your report seven years after
it is reported closed by the credit grantor.)
Most negative information
remains for up to 7 years. Bankruptcies remain on your credt report up to 10
years. Other public record information can remain for up to 7 years.
Most inquiries stay on your credit report for up to two years.
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