What is a TransUnion® credit report?

A TransUnion credit report is a detailed record of financial information, including payment history, number of active credit accounts, current debt and bankruptcies. 

Think of it as a snapshot of how you’ve managed credit up to now, according to one of the three major credit bureaus.

What you’ll learn:

• TransUnion credit reports contain personal information, public records, credit account data and credit inquiries. 
• Lenders, landlords, property management companies and employers may use credit reports to inform their decisions.
• TransUnion, Equifax and Experian are the three major credit bureaus that produce credit reports.
• There are several ways to get a free credit report from TransUnion, including using CreditWise from Capital One.

Your credit report from each of the three major credit bureaus may look slightly different. But generally, they all contain four categories of information:

1. Personal information, including your name, address, phone number, Social Security number, date of birth and employer. 
2. Credit account information, including types of credit accounts, credit limits, current balances, payment history and collection accounts. 
3. Hard and soft inquiries, which may be triggered by new credit applications, rental applications, and new phone, cable or internet service applications.
4. Public records, which might include things like foreclosures and bankruptcies.

This is just some of the data that shows up on your credit reports. If you want to dive deeper, you can learn more about how to read a credit report.

Lenders and creditors, like banks and credit card issuers, use the information in credit reports to assess a borrower’s creditworthiness and determine what rates and loan terms to offer. They might focus on a single credit report, like one from TransUnion, or look at multiple reports.

Landlords, property management companies and employers may also review credit reports when making decisions about renting someone an apartment or hiring someone for a job. Credit reports can even affect deposit amounts for utilities.

Checking your credit reports can help you understand what people or companies see when they review them. For example, reviewing your TransUnion credit report and checking your credit scores can give you an idea of whether you meet the minimum requirements to qualify for a mortgage or the range of auto loan interest rates you may be offered. 

Regularly checking your credit reports can help you spot errors that could be hurting your credit and notice signs of identity theft.

The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) restricts access to your credit reports. According to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), the FCRA says a credit reporting company may send your credit report to “creditors, government authorities, landlords, employers, insurance companies, and others” who intend to use your report for decisions about things such as: 

• Credit

• Government benefits and licenses 

• Rental applications

• Employment

• Insurance coverage or premiums

Credit reports may be issued in response to things like court orders and subpoenas too. You may also authorize someone to receive your credit report. The CFPB says that when you request a copy of your report, you can see who has requested your credit report in the past year or the past two years when it comes to employers.

You can get a copy of your TransUnion credit report by visiting AnnualCreditReport.com. 

You can also sign up for CreditWise from Capital One. CreditWise offers free access to your TransUnion credit report and credit score, and you don’t have to be a Capital One cardholder to use it.

TransUnion, Equifax and Experian are the three major credit reporting agencies. “Credit bureaus” is another name for them. They all use financial information to compile credit reports. Credit-scoring companies use those reports to calculate credit scores and more.

Depending on the credit bureau, your report might look slightly different. One reason? Not all lenders report credit information to all three bureaus. Some may provide information only to TransUnion, for instance. Others may give information to all three.

That means each bureau might be using slightly different information in its reports. And those differences in credit reports are one reason you might see differences in your credit scores.

Credit reports can seem like a complex topic, but really, they’re just a summary of how you’ve managed credit in the past and your current credit activity. Here’s a look at some common questions about TransUnion credit reports, like whether TransUnion is a trusted source and how to dispute errors in your report.

TransUnion is one of the three major credit bureaus that produce credit reports. In your TransUnion report, you’ll find detailed information about your credit history and current financial situation. Lenders often reference your credit reports when making lending decisions, and credit-scoring companies use information from your reports to calculate your credit scores. 

CreditWise lets you access your TransUnion credit report and credit score. CreditWise can also give you personalized insights to help you understand your score and build credit health. Using CreditWise won’t hurt your credit scores, and it’s free, even if you’re not a Capital One cardholder.