Credit Report
A credit report is a detailed record of your borrowing — accounts, balances, payment history, and inquiries — kept by the three major bureaus (Equifax, Experian, TransUnion). It's the raw data your credit score is built from, and lenders pull it to decide whether to approve you.
Federal law entitles you to free reports from all three bureaus at AnnualCreditReport.com, the only site authorised to provide them. Checking matters because errors are common — a Federal Trade Commission study found roughly one in five consumers had an error on at least one of their reports — and an account that is not yours is the fastest legitimate score increase available. The three files rarely match, since creditors are not obliged to report to all three, so a 20-point spread between bureaus is unremarkable while a 100-point spread usually means something appears on one and not the others. Disputes must be investigated, generally within 30 days.
Put it to work
Credit Utilization Calculator
Work out your credit utilization ratio, see which band it falls in, and find exactly how much to pay down to reach a target before your statement closes.
Debt-to-Income Ratio Calculator
Calculate the debt-to-income (DTI) ratio mortgage lenders use to size your approval — front-end and back-end — and see how much room you have before 36%.
Credit Card Payoff Calculator
How long to pay off your credit card at your current payment — and the exact monthly amount to be debt-free in 12, 24, or 36 months.