Credit Bureau Reports

The Three Major Credit Bureaus are:

• Trans Union - (800) 916-8800
   
• Experian (formerly TRW) - (888) 397-3742
   
• Equifax Information Services - (800) 685-1111

A credit bureau collects and maintains information on the majority of Americans, but they are not affiliated with the government in any way. The credit bureaus are for-profit corporations and they sell your personal information for money. How much money? To give you an idea, Experian's North America's annual sales exceed $1.3 billion.

Credit bureaus make money by gathering your credit information from credit grantors, listing the information in your credit file, then selling it to other credit grantors who want to see your credit history before they decide to lend you money.

Credit bureaus get your personal information from the same lenders who grant you credit through agreements they have made that require the credit grantor to inform the credit bureau of everything that occurs in your relationship with the credit grantor.