Credit report
Your financial history, compiled by the three major bureaus: Equifax, Experian and TransUnion.
- What’s in it
- Open and closed accounts, loan balances, payment history, bankruptcies and public records.
- What it costs
- Nothing. You’re legally entitled to free weekly copies from all three bureaus at AnnualCreditReport.com.
Credit score
A three-digit number, usually 300 to 850, that sums up your report so lenders can judge risk quickly.
- FICO
- The model most lenders use, with ranges from Poor to Exceptional.
- VantageScore
- An alternative built jointly by the bureaus, with similar tiers running from subprime to superprime.
Many criteria go into a credit score, including:
- Your bill-paying history, current unpaid debt, and the number and type of loans and accounts you have.
- How long you’ve had your loan accounts open and how much of your available credit you’re using.
- Whether you’ve had a debt sent to collections, a foreclosure or a bankruptcy, and how long ago.
- Whether you’ve recently applied for new or more credit.
Your report and score can differ by bureau, because not every lender reports to all three. That’s why it pays to check all three reports.
Keep reading
Last reviewed: Next scheduled review: January 2027