How To Analyze A Credit Report

What Is Your Credit And Why Does It Matter

When people talk about your credit, they mean your credit history. Your credit history describes how you use money. For example:

• How many credit cards do you have?
• How many loans do you have?
• Do you pay your bills on time?

How you handled your money and bills in the past will help lenders decide if they want to do business with you. Your credit history also helps them determine what interest rate to charge you.

• If they see that you always pay your bills on time and never take on more debt than you can pay back, they will generally feel more confident doing business with you.;
• If they see that you are late on your payments or owe more on credit cards or loans than you can repay, they might not trust that you will pay them back.;

How To Fix An Inaccurate Credit Report

While credit bureaus make every effort to report accurate and up-to-date information, your reports may have misinformation and are subject to human error. If you notice wrong information in any one of your credit reports, you can start a dispute with the credit bureau that made the error.

Recent court rulings prompted all three reporting bureaus to promise they would expand their investigation departments and act more promptly and professionally when an error is in dispute.

When you start a dispute, contact the company you believe supplied the inaccurate data and the credit bureau that reported the error. For example, if you notice that your Equifax report has an error about your credit card payments, contact both Equifax and the credit card company.

To contact the credit bureau, follow the instructions listed on your credit report, or visit the bureaus dispute page.

Start a dispute with:

• TransUnion

The best way to contact the business that reported an error is to write a letter and send it to the address listed on your last bill or statement. When contacting the business and the reporting bureau, youll need to give identifying information like your name, address, and account number.

The credit reporting agency must contact your creditor within 30 to 45 days after you file a dispute. If your creditor cannot find a record of the information in question, the credit bureau will delete it from your report.

Purpose Of A Credit Report

Purpose of a credit report determines if he/she is worthy or unworthy to be granted of loans of any kind. People who do business with you rely on credit reports to see whether or not you know how to handle your finances including credit activities.

Lenders or credit card companies use the data to determine if you are capable of paying your debts. Employers check your credit status to judge your diligence or any misbehaviour when it comes to paying debts. Simply put, credit reports are reliable sources of important information about an individual, most importantly his/her financial status. Credit report form examples are listed here for your guidance.

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What Is A Credit Score

A credit score is a number between 300850 that depicts a consumer’s creditworthiness. The higher the score, the better a borrower looks to potential lenders. A credit score is based on : number of open accounts, total levels of debt, and repayment history, and other factors. Lenders use credit scores to evaluate the probability that an individual will repay loans in a timely manner.

How Credit Bureaus Collect Information

Financial institutions and other companies that a borrower does business with are the main sources of information contained in the credit analysis report. Other sources of information may include courts, local government, collection agencies, and other entities that borrowers do business with.

Although the companies are not required by law to furnish customer information to credit bureaus, most companies do submit the status of credit accounts to one or all the three major .

Most companies submit customer data on the active credit cards and loan accounts at least once a month, and all information is subsequently captured in the credit report. However, some companies do not submit information on the borrowers credit account status, unless the customer has defaulted on multiple payments. For example, if a customers account with a cable company remains overdue for a long period without any repayments from the subscriber, the company can notify credit bureaus about the credit accounts that have become delinquent.

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Using A Credit Report Provided By The Tenant

In larger cities , tenants are accustomed to applying for multiple properties before being selected by a landlord. In these more competitive markets, tenants will often obtain their own credit report to present to every property they are applying for. This ultimately saves the tenant money by minimizing application fees, which can really add up.

If a renter wants to use a credit report that they have already paid for , we recommend allowing this so long as the renter could not have doctored or changed the report.

For example, Avail allows renters to pay for a credit report and background check and share the results with other landlords whose properties they are applying for. Our system keeps the renters credit report information in our system for 30 days after the initial application. If the renter wishes to share these reports, they can invite the other landlords to view the reports inside our system. Theres no chance anything could have been changed or altered because the report was never in the tenants hands.

Request Your Free Medical History Report

You have the right to get one free copy of your medical history report, also known as your MIB consumer file, each year. You can request a copy for:

• Yourself
• Someone else, as a legal guardian
• Someone else, as an agent under power of attorney

You can request a medical history report online from MIB or by phone at 1-866-692-6901.

Not everyone has a medical history report. Even if you currently have an insurance plan, you won’t have a report if:

• You haven’t applied for insurance within the last seven years
• Your insurance policy is through a group or employer policy
• The insurance company isnt a member of MIB
• You didnt give an insurer permission to submit your medical reports to MIB

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Calculate The Company’s Debt

Another way to determine a clients creditworthiness is to calculate its debt-to-income ratio. This calculation shows you what portion the companys debts make up its earnings. To determine the ratio, divide the companys monthly debt payments by gross monthly income. These numbers are available from the companys financial statement.

The lower the number the better. However, good debt ratios vary from industry to industry. It is important to understand what those baseline ratios are.

What Information Is In A Credit Report

Learn about positive and negative information on your credit report, and how creditors may use this information. 2:21

A credit report is a summary of your credit history. Potential creditors and lenders use credit reports as part of their decision-making process to choose whether to extend you credit and at what interest rate. It’s important to check your credit report regularly because creditors and lenders use the information in it, such as your payment history and the number of active credit accounts, also known as tradelines, to evaluate your creditworthiness.

There are two nationwide credit reporting agencies Equifax and TransUnion both of which maintain consumer credit reports containing information reported to them by lenders and creditors. Your credit report may not be identical with each of the two agencies, as some lenders may report information to both of them, just one, or sometimes none at all.

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How To Access Your Report

You can request a free copy of your credit report from each of three major credit reporting agencies Equifax®, Experian®, and TransUnion® once each year at AnnualCreditReport.com or call toll-free 1-877-322-8228. Youre also entitled to see your credit report within 60 days of being denied credit, or if you are on welfare, unemployed, or your report is inaccurate.

Its a good idea to request a credit report from each of the three credit reporting agencies and to review them carefully, as each one may contain inconsistent information or inaccuracies. If you spot an error, request a dispute form from the agency within 30 days of receiving your report.

Contents Of A Credit Analysis Report

A credit report includes different types of information that lenders and other interested parties can use to verify the identity and creditworthiness of a potential borrower. The main components of a credit report include the following:

1. Identity Information

A credit report includes a section on the basic identification information of an individual, including the name, physical location, employment, date of birth, and Social Security number. The report may include a list of previous addresses, places of employment, and any misspellings of the name.

The identifying information is not used to assess the Credit ScoreA credit score is a number representative of an individual’s financial and credit standing and ability to obtain financial assistance from lenders. Lenders use the credit score to assess a prospective borrowers qualification for a loan and the specific terms of the loan. of an individual. Lenders or institutions may request the credit report to verify the identity of a potential borrower and prevent cases of identity theft.

2. Credit Accounts

The credit accounts section contains information about the past and current credit accounts that have been reported by past lenders and creditors. Ideally, the section contains information on the different types of credit accounts associated with an individual.

3. Credit Inquiries

4. Bankruptcy and Repossessions

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How To Get A Free Credit Report

Order a copy of your credit report from both Equifax Canada and TransUnion Canada. Each credit bureau may have different information about how you have used credit in the past. Ordering your own credit report has no effect on your credit score.

Equifax Canada refers to your credit report as credit file disclosure.

TransUnion Canada refers to your credit report as consumer disclosure.

When To Get Your Credit Report

The most important time to pull your credit report is a few months before you apply for any new, large debt, such as a mortgage or car loan. This is so that if there are inaccuracies on your report or contradictions between the different bureaus reports, youll be able to fix problems;before your lender sees them.

Another good time to request a credit report is if you have recently applied for a credit card, a loan, employment, or insurance, and have been denied based on the information within your credit report. Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act , you are entitled to a free copy under these circumstances.

However, you can only get a report from the agency that provided it to the lender that rejected your application. You have 60 days after receiving your denial letter to request this report and the denial letter will usually give specific instructions on how to request it from that agency. You are also eligible for a free report if you are unemployed and looking for a job, if youre on welfare, or if your report is inaccurate because of fraud or identity theft.

That said, regardless of your situation, you should pull your credit report at least once a year.

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Negative Information In A Credit Report

Negative information in a can include public records–tax liens, judgments, bankruptcies–that provide insight into your financial status and obligations. A credit reporting company generally can report most negative information for seven years.

Information about a lawsuit or a judgment against you can be reported for seven years or until the statute of limitations runs out, whichever is longer. Bankruptcies can be kept on your report for up to 10 years, and unpaid tax liens for 15 years.

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The 5 Cs Of Credit Analysis

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Character

• This is the part where the general impression of the protective borrower is analyzed. The lender forms a very subjective opinion about the trustworthiness of the entity to repay the loan. Discrete inquiries, background, experience level, market opinion, and various other sources can be a way to collect qualitative information, and then an opinion can be formed, whereby he can make a decision about the character of the entity.

Capacity

• Capacity refers to the ability of the borrower to service the loan from the profits generated by his investments. This is perhaps the most important of the five factors. The lender will calculate exactly how the repayment is supposed to take place, cash flow from the businessCash Flow From The BusinessCash Flow is the amount of cash or cash equivalent generated & consumed by a Company over a given period. It proves to be a prerequisite for analyzing the businesss strength, profitability, & scope for betterment. read more, the timing of repayment, probability of successful repayment of the loan, payment history, and such factors, are considered to arrive at the probable capacity of the entity to repay the loan.

Capital

Collateral

Conditions

Can Someone Run A Credit Report Without Me Knowing

It depends. Like we said earlier, there are soft inquiries and hard inquiries. Soft inquiries happen all the time without you even knowinga company might check your credit score if theyre planning on mailing you a promotional offer. These inquiries dont affect your credit score at all.

But hard inquiries require your actual consent before they can happen. These impact your credit score and cant legally be done without you knowing, so breathe easy. If you notice a hard inquiry you didnt authorize, youll need to dispute it with the credit agency.

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How To Check Your Credit Report

It’s easy to check your credit report:

• Request your free credit report from Experian at any time.
• Check your at any time
• Visit annualcreditreport.com to request one free credit report from each of the 3 major credit reporting agencies every 12 months.

Who Can Check My Credit Report?

The Fair Credit Reporting Act limits who can view your credit report and for what reasons. Generally, the following people and organizations can view your credit report:

Fixing Errors In Your Credit Report

The information on your credit report impacts your ability to get a loan, an apartment, and many other important things in your life. You want to make sure that whats on your report is correct. If you find errors on your credit report, both the credit bureau and the person, company, or organization that provided the wrong information are responsible for correcting it. But there are steps you need to take first.;

• If your credit report has errors, but you havent experienced identity theft:;First, tell the credit bureau, in writing, what information you think is inaccurate. Include copies of documents that support your position. The credit bureau must investigate your claim. It also has to contact the business that put the information on your report. If that company finds that the information was, in fact, inaccurate, it must tell all three credit bureaus to correct your file.;

Second, contact the company that reported the wrong information to the credit bureau. Do this in writing. Tell them that youre disputing an item in your credit report. For more information and sample dispute letters, see Disputing Errors on Credit Reports.;

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What Does A U Stand For On A Credit Report

University of Credit Reporting? Nope. The U means unclassified, or that the account hadnt been updated at the time the report was pulled. Its one of many status codes that can appear next to an account on your credit report. Codes like this usually indicate a problem with the account, like it being past due or sent to collections.

You might also see a U if the account is new and you havent made any payments on it yet. It doesnt have a negative impact on your credit score and isnt anything to really worry about.