Because the data held by these bureaus is so influential, it is strictly regulated in the United States by the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) . Passed in 1970, the FCRA provides critical protections for consumers, including:
The industry is dominated by three primary nationwide bureaus: , Experian , and TransUnion . Their core function is to compile a detailed summary of your credit history and payment records, including loan repayments to banks and other financial institutions. This data is used by lenders to assess risk and by FICO to generate numerical credit scores based on factors like payment history, length of credit, and current liabilities. Consumer Rights and Regulation credit reporting bureaus
: Bureaus are required to remove or correct negative information that cannot be verified . Because the data held by these bureaus is