What Information Is in a Credit Report?

Credit reports provide a summary of your credit history and are used by creditors and lenders to evaluate your creditworthiness. Checking your credit report regularly is important because it contains information that is used to determine whether to extend credit to you and at what interest rate. There are two nationwide credit reporting agencies - Equifax and TransUnion - that maintain consumer credit reports with information reported to them by lenders and creditors.

Your credit report includes four types of information.

1. Identifying Information

The identifying information section contains personal information such as your name, address, Social Insurance Number (S.I.N.), and date of birth, and may include employment information. This information is not used to calculate your credit score.

2. Tradelines

Your credit report also lists the credit accounts you have established with lenders, known as "tradelines." Each account contains details such as the type of account, the date it was opened, your credit limit, account balance, and payment history.

3. Inquiry Information

The inquiry information section of your credit report provides details about the companies that have pulled a copy of your credit report. There are two types of inquiries, soft and hard, that may be listed. Soft inquiries, which include your own requests for your credit history or account monitoring by your current creditors, are only visible to you and do not impact your credit score. Hard inquiries, made by potential lenders when you apply for credit, can remain on your credit report for up to 36 months and may impact your credit score.

4. Public Records

Finally, public record and collections information may also be listed in your credit report. This includes information reported to the credit bureaus about public court records, such as bankruptcies, and past-due accounts that have been turned over to a collections agency.