Credit report basics
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You cannot dispute what you have not read. This topic covers how to get all three of your reports, how to read each section, and why they will not match each other. Nothing here costs money.
How credit reporting works
Lenders, card issuers, and collectors, called furnishers, send information about your accounts to the three nationwide credit bureaus: Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. Each bureau builds its own file on you from what it receives. Lenders then buy reports from one or more bureaus. Because each bureau holds its own file, an error can sit on one report and not the others.
The guides
- How to get your free credit reports: the official site, what is free, and what to save.
- How to read a credit report, section by section: personal information, accounts, collections, inquiries.
- Why your three credit reports don’t match: what differences are normal and what differences point to an error.
Next
Once you have your reports, move to finding errors.