What is a credit report and what can be found on it

What have you heard about credit reports?

If you’d like to know more…then you’re welcome

First, let’s see what it means…

A credit report is a thorough examination of your credit history prepared by a credit bureau. Credit bureaus gather financial information about you and use it to generate credit reports, which lenders use along with other details to determine your creditworthiness.

In the same sense, you could simply say a credit report is a summary of your past and current credit information. Your credit report may be regarded as a dependable friend or a looming shadow it all depends on the status of your credit accounts at the time and the history of your bill and loan payments. This means that a dirty financial past may turn the ever-dependable credit report into a dark shadow hanging over you.

The process of applying for a loan may seem overwhelming if your financial past has been bumpy. You can prepare for what to expect by knowing what information is on your credit report and how it affects your credit score.

What information appears on your credit report? Let’s take a look at what’s inside the credit report.

Credit reports contain a wide range of financial information peculiar to you. The following information is frequently found on a credit report, regardless of the credit bureau.

Identifying information, such as your entire name (and any alternative names you may have used in past credit applications, such as surnames before marriage, and your name without your middle name.)

It also contains information such as your birth date, current and previous residences linked to your credit accounts, phone numbers linked to your credit accounts, current and previous employers you’ve listed on credit applications, and more.

This information helps in the confirmation of your identity and to prevent fraudulent acts from being carried out with your identity.

The credit report contains information about your current and historical credit accounts from the last seven(7) to ten(10) years, including installment accounts (loans), the name of the creditor/lender, the opening date and/or closure, the status (such as current or past due), the credit limit (for credit cards) or loan amount, your payment history, and so on.

Additionally, your credit report contains details about the organizations — loan companies included — that have viewed your report as well as the dates and times of those accesses.

Credit reports contain a lot of information, but they also exclude some personal and financial details. Here are a few details you won’t ever find on your credit report:

An individual’s past or present marital status has no place in their credit report. Apart from it being deeply personal and intrusive, it’s not a suitable measure of an individual’s financial status (good or bad) and therefore, has no effect whatsoever on one’s credit score.

One’s income from their place of employment is also not included in a credit report. Although some lenders require such information before making a loan application decision.

The credit report also doesn’t contain an individual’s bank account details. However, certain details, such as your bank account statement are considered by a lender when reviewing a loan application. This confirms one’s cash inflow and outflow and helps the lender determine if the client can afford the loan.

The educational level or history (past or present) is not included in a credit report. So don’t worry if you crashed out of the university, it has no bearing on your creditworthiness. What must be noted is the individual’s age, as any loan application is only legal for persons aged 18 and above.

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As always, Irorun brings the most useful information to you and is further available to answer your questions and offer assistance in securing your first loan, send us a message at support@irorun.com!