How to Read a Credit Report

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Your credit card report is your financial report. Your future transactions depend on this information. You may find yourself in a situation when you didn't get the job you were sure you would get, or that you were turned down for an apartment that you wanted to rent. You look for the reason, and realize it is because of the irregularities that are present in your credit card report.

When so much depends upon your credit report, it becomes imperative that you ensure that there are no negative errors in it. For this, first of all, you need to verify that all the information given in the credit report is correct.

 The information is classified into four categories.

Personal Information

This section of your credit report spells out your personal details such as your name, spouse's name, your age, salary, current employers, and former employers. Don't simply assume your personal information mentioned is correct. Apart from checking these details, you also need to check that nothing is misspelled.

Reported Accounts

This section is further divided into two categories: monthly accounts and default accounts.

Monthly accounts

All financial organizations, insurance companies, departmental stores, oil and gas companies, and more report your credit history and these find mention in the monthly report section.

Default accounts

This section lists all the payments that you did not make. These may include telephone bills, electricity bills, installment etc. Again, you need to do a careful check of these accounts, as there may be chances that you made the payments, but they have been erroneously mentioned under this category.

Public Information

As the name itself suggests, this section of your report details information that is of public interest. This includes details of law suits, bankruptcies, court judgments, loans and debts. It is important for you to note that landlords, bankers, insurance companies, and prospective employers all check out your credit report. Any adverse information can prevent your getting the job or loan, as the case may be.

Inquiries

This section lists all the companies, banks, employers, and landlords, who have made inquiries about your credit report. Too many inquiries can result in a negative impression, as most lenders will assume that you are looking around for a lot of cash and so you might not be able to pay your installments.

 Next Article: How to Fix Your Credit Report