A credit report is a factual record of your credit payment history. It's provided to companies and individuals by credit bureaus for purposes permitted by law, usually to grant you credit. The main purpose of a credit report is to help a credit grantor decide whether to grant you credit based upon your credit payment history. A credit report is a report generated from your credit file (a database maintained by a credit bureau containing your credit history). Obtain a copy of your Free Credit Report by clicking here.
More than 205 million people in the United States have a credit card, car loan, mortgage or student loan. Almost every one of them has a credit file, which is part of your credit report. The information in your credit file is obtained directly from the companies you have credit with, as well as from government agencies such as the legal court systems. There are three major credit bureaus in the United States: Experian, TransUnion, and Equifax.