Consumer Reporting Companies: Client FAQ

A consumer reporting company (also called a consumer reporting agency, or CRA) collects information about you and sells reports on you to other businesses ("users") that use those reports to make decisions — whether to extend credit, hire you, rent to you, insure you, or approve you for other services. The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) regulates these companies.

No. The three nationwide credit bureaus (Equifax, TransUnion, Experian) are only the best-known consumer reporting companies. Many other companies compile specialty reports covering employment history, tenant history, checking account history, insurance claims, medical information, subprime lending history, and more. A business decision made about you — a rental denial, a higher insurance premium, a declined bank account — may be based on a report from one of these lesser-known companies, not from Equifax, TransUnion, or Experian.

Lenders, employers and volunteer organizations, government benefit agencies, landlords and property managers, banks/credit unions and merchants processing checks or electronic payments, short-term/subprime lenders, debt buyers and collectors, insurers, telecom and utility companies, retailers, and gaming/sports betting operators.

No — with the exception of employment screening, businesses are generally not required to warn you in advance. In most cases you find out only after the fact, when you've already been denied, or approved on worse terms (higher deposit, higher rate, co-signer requirement).

Equifax, TransUnion, and Experian. Collect payment history, credit usage, debt collection accounts, some public records (bankruptcies), and inquiries. Get free weekly reports from all three at AnnualCreditReport.com.

Companies such as Accurate Background, ADP Screening & Selection, Asurint, backgroundchecks.com, Checkr, Cisive, DISA Global Solutions, First Advantage, HireRight, IntelliCorp, Pre-employ.com, Sterling, The Work Number, Truework, and Universal Background Screening. These compile criminal records, employment/salary/education verification, SSN and address history, driving records, drug testing results, and sometimes social media screening (e.g., Fama Technologies, Ferretly). Most won't have a file on you unless you've authorized an employer to run a check.

Companies such as AmRent, AppFolio, Contemporary Information Corp. (CIC), Experian RentBureau, First Advantage Resident Solutions, RealPage (LeasingDesk), RentGrow, SafeRent Solutions, Screening Reports Inc., and TransUnion SmartMove. These compile credit history, eviction records, rent payment history, and criminal background for landlords.

Certegy, ChexSystems, CrossCheck, Early Warning Services, Global Payments Check Services, and TeleCheck. These affect whether you can open a checking/savings account or have a personal check accepted. ChexSystems and Early Warning are the two most consequential for denied bank accounts.

A-PLUS Property (Verisk), Arity (Allstate), Connected Analytic Services (Toyota), Drivers History (TransUnion), Insurance Information Exchange/iiX (Verisk), and LexisNexis C.L.U.E. & Telematics OnDemand. These compile insurance claims history and, increasingly, telematics/driving-behavior data pulled from phone apps or vehicles, which insurers use to price auto policies.

MIB, Inc. and Milliman IntelliScript. Relevant when a client applies for individual life, health, disability, critical illness, or long-term care insurance. MIB compiles medical condition/hazardous-activity information; IntelliScript compiles prescription drug purchase history.

Clarity Services (Experian), DataX (Equifax), FactorTrust (TransUnion), MicroBilt, and Teletrack (Equifax). These track payday loans, installment loans, rent-to-own transactions, and subprime credit products — often the relevant CRA in payday-lending and title-loan disputes.

Innovis, LexisNexis Risk Solutions, and SageStream (LexisNexis). Sell identity-verification and supplemental credit data to lenders alongside the "big three" bureau data — often overlooked in discovery.

National Consumer Telecom & Utilities Exchange (NCTUE), serviced by Equifax. Tracks new-connection requests and payment history for phone, cable, and utility accounts.

The Retail Equation (owned by Appriss). Tracks product return/exchange activity for fraud-and-abuse screening; relevant to "banned from returns" disputes.

Central Credit (Everi Payments), NCC/National Cred-A-Chek, and VIP Preferred (Pavilion Payments). Used by casinos and sportsbooks to assess credit and check-cashing risk.

Yes. Every consumer reporting company must give you a copy of your file on request. The three nationwide bureaus must do so at least once every 12 months, and currently offer **free weekly** reports through AnnualCreditReport.com. Most of the specialty CRAs listed above provide **one free report every 12 months**; a few (noted per-company) only provide a report if the company already has a file on you or if there's been adverse action.

The maximum permissible fee for calendar year 2025 is $15.50.

You're entitled to a free copy of the report used, and the business must identify which consumer reporting company supplied it. That identification is often the starting point for identifying which of the specialty CRAs above actually holds a file relevant to a client's claim.

Yes. Under the FCRA, both the consumer reporting company and the entity that furnished the inaccurate information must investigate a dispute at no cost, and correct or delete information found to be inaccurate or incomplete or that cannot be verified. More importantly, in many cases, in order to sue over a violation of the FCRA, you MUST send a dispute TO THE CREDIT REPORTING AGENCY first. 

Yes, for the nationwide bureaus and for most of the specialty CRAs (noted per-company above), a security freeze is free and blocks third-party access to your file. Freezes are also available for children under 16 and for wards under guardianship, conservatorship, or valid power of attorney.

No. Requesting your own reports is a "soft inquiry" and does not affect your credit scores.