What Are the Three Major Credit Bureaus? Equifax, Experian and TransUnion Explained

Equifax, Experian and TransUnion are the three major nationwide credit bureaus in the US, but they do not necessarily have identical information about you.

If you've started looking into your credit, you've probably come across three names again and again: Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. These companies collect and maintain information about your credit history, which can then appear in your credit reports and be used by businesses with a legally permitted purpose.

The important part is that the three bureaus are separate companies. A lender may report information to one bureau, two bureaus or all three, and updates may reach them at different times. That is why checking only one report doesn't always give you the complete picture of your credit history.

Key takeaways

• The three major nationwide credit bureaus are Equifax, Experian and TransUnion.
• Credit bureaus collect information from lenders, creditors and other data furnishers and compile it into credit reports.
• The three bureaus are separate companies, so the information in one report may differ from another.
• Not every creditor reports to all three bureaus.
• Credit bureaus collect and maintain information, but they do not decide whether you qualify for a loan or credit card.
• Your credit reports can contain information about accounts, payment history, balances, inquiries and other aspects of your credit history.
• Reviewing all three reports can help you spot information that is inaccurate, incomplete or unfamiliar.

What are the three major credit bureaus?

The three major nationwide credit bureaus in the US are Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau identifies these three companies as the nationwide consumer reporting companies that maintain consumer credit information.

You may also see them called credit reporting agencies, consumer reporting agencies or consumer reporting companies. These terms generally refer to companies that collect and compile consumer information into reports that can be provided to businesses for legally permitted purposes.

A credit bureau is not a lender. It doesn't approve your mortgage, decide whether you get a credit card or set the interest rate on your auto loan. Its role is to collect and maintain information that can be included in a consumer report, while the business reviewing the report makes its own decision. If you're still getting familiar with the basics, it helps to first understand what a credit report is.

What does a credit bureau do?

Think of a credit bureau as a company that collects information about your credit activity from businesses that report it.

For example, when you have a credit card or loan, the lender may send information about that account to one or more credit bureaus. That information can include details such as the account balance, payment history and account status. The bureaus then maintain the information in their databases and may provide reports to parties that have a legally permitted purpose for accessing them.

The information maintained by the three major bureaus can include:

• Personal identifying information
• Credit accounts
• Account balances
• Credit limits or loan amounts
• Payment history
• Collection accounts
• Public-record information that can be included under applicable rules
• Credit inquiries

The exact information and way it is presented can vary by bureau.

Who are Equifax, Experian and TransUnion?

Equifax

Equifax is one of the three nationwide credit reporting companies in the US. It collects and maintains consumer credit information that can be included in Equifax credit reports.

Experian

Experian is another nationwide credit reporting company. Its credit reports contain information supplied by creditors and other data furnishers, which can be used to create a record of a consumer's credit activity.

TransUnion

TransUnion is the third nationwide credit reporting company. Like Equifax and Experian, it collects information from businesses that report consumer credit data and compiles that information into credit reports.

The three companies perform similar functions, but that doesn't mean your reports from all three will look exactly the same.

Do all three credit bureaus have the same information?

No.

This is one of the most important things to understand about the credit reporting system. Creditors can choose which credit bureaus they report to, and they are not required to provide the same information to all three.

Imagine you have three credit cards.

Your first card issuer reports to Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. Your second reports only to Experian and TransUnion. Your third reports only to Equifax.

All three reports could therefore contain different accounts.

Even when the same creditor reports to all three, the information may not arrive at exactly the same time. One bureau could receive a balance update before another, creating a temporary difference between the reports.

This is one reason it is useful to compare all three reports rather than relying on a single report.

Why do lenders report to different credit bureaus?

There isn't one rule requiring every lender or creditor to report to all three nationwide bureaus.

Businesses can have different reporting arrangements, and some may report information to one bureau, two bureaus or all three. The decision can depend on the company's reporting practices and other factors.

That means a credit account appearing on one report but not another isn't automatically an error.

For example, if a lender reports your account only to Experian, its absence from your Equifax report may simply reflect the lender's reporting practices.

However, if you believe information should be appearing on a particular report or you find information that is incorrect, that's something worth investigating.

What information do the three credit bureaus collect?

The major credit bureaus generally collect several categories of information that can appear on your credit report.

Personal information

Your report can include identifying information such as your name, addresses and date of birth. Different variations of your name or address can sometimes appear because different creditors may have supplied the information differently.

Credit accounts

Reports can include credit cards, mortgages, auto loans and other credit accounts. Depending on the account, you may see information such as the creditor's name, account status, balance, credit limit or original loan amount.

Payment history

Your reports can show whether payments were reported as on time or late. Payment information is one of the categories used by credit-scoring models when calculating credit scores.

Collections

Collection accounts can also appear when debts have been reported by collection companies. If you see a collection account you don't recognize, compare the details with your records rather than assuming the entry is correct.

Credit inquiries

Your reports can contain inquiries related to applications for credit and other permitted access to your credit information. Hard inquiries associated with applications can appear on reports, while soft inquiries may be visible only in certain versions of your report.

Are credit bureaus the same as creditors?

No. The distinction is simple but important.

A creditor is a company that extends credit to you, such as a bank, credit card issuer or auto lender. A credit bureau collects information supplied by creditors and other data furnishers and maintains consumer reports.

For example, suppose you have an auto loan with a bank.

The bank is the creditor. If it reports your account information to Equifax, Experian or TransUnion, the bureau receiving that information can include it in your credit report.

This distinction becomes particularly important when you find an error. Depending on the situation, you may need to address the issue with both the credit bureau and the company that supplied the information.

Do credit bureaus decide your credit score?

No.

A credit bureau maintains the information used in a credit report. A credit score is calculated by a scoring model using relevant information from a credit report.

That means Equifax, Experian and TransUnion don't simply choose your credit score.

The score can vary depending on the credit report being used and the scoring model applied to the information. This is also why a score based on your Experian report may not be identical to one based on your Equifax or TransUnion report.

Why should you check all three credit reports?

Because each report can contain different information.

The CFPB recommends reviewing your reports from the three nationwide consumer reporting companies to make sure the information is accurate and complete.

Comparing the reports can help you identify:

• Accounts that appear on one report but not another
• Different balances
• Different account statuses
• Payment-history differences
• Unfamiliar accounts
• Inquiries you don't recognize
• Personal information that needs correcting

Not every difference means something is wrong. Some differences simply reflect when a creditor reported information or which bureaus received it.

The goal is to understand why the reports differ.

How can you get your reports from all three bureaus?

You can request your credit reports through AnnualCreditReport.com, which is the federally authorized source for obtaining your credit reports. The CFPB identifies AnnualCreditReport.com as the site consumers can use to request their reports from Equifax, Experian and TransUnion.

You can then compare the three reports side by side. If you're not sure what each section means, learning how to read a credit report will help you work through the accounts, balances, payment history and inquiries without treating every difference as an error.

What should you do if information is different between reports?

Start by finding out whether the difference is expected.

Check whether the creditor reports to all three bureaus and whether the reports were generated or updated around the same time. A different balance or missing account may simply reflect the timing or reporting practices of the creditor.

If you find information that is actually inaccurate or incomplete, you can dispute it. The CFPB says consumers have the right to dispute inaccurate or incomplete information with the credit reporting company and the company that supplied the information.

That is different from disputing information simply because it is negative. If the information is accurate, a dispute is not a legitimate way to make it disappear.

The bottom line

Equifax, Experian and TransUnion are the three major nationwide credit bureaus, but they are not three copies of the same database. Each company can receive information from different creditors, and updates can reach the bureaus at different times.

That is why checking one report isn't always enough. Reviewing all three gives you a clearer picture of what businesses may see when they access your credit information. Once you understand the role of each bureau, the next useful step is learning why your three credit reports can contain different information.

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