Information in your credit report can be broken down into 5 main categories:
Personal Information about you
Accounts reported monthly
Accounts reported when in default
Public Records
Inquiries
Credit Reports may also contain a credit score.
Who can Look at Your Credit Report
The federal Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) (15 U.S.C. 1681 and following) and state credit reporting laws restrict who can access your credit report and how it can be used. The people and entities that can request your credit report include:
Employers
Government Agencies
Insurance Companies
Collection Agencies
Judgment Creditors
Potential Creditors
Landlords and Mortgage Lenders
Utility Companies
Student Loan and Grant Lenders
Apart from those listed above, most other people and businesses cannot legally request a copy of your credit report. For example, your credit report may not be used in divorce, child custody, immigration, and other legal proceedings. Government agencies are allowed to look at your report in these cases only if they get a court order allowing them to do so.
