In the United States three credit bureaus monitor and maintain credit reports on over 215 million active credit consumers. This data base keeps a record of personal information and credit history so that lenders can determine your creditworthiness. If you’ve ever applied for a credit card, a car loan, a home loan, or any loan to make a large purchase then you’ve had your credit report reviewed by the lender. The lender uses this information to decide how much credit to extend and at what interest rate.

The credit report style and format depends on the reporting bureau used (Experian, TransUnion, or Equifax) however each keeps information of the following kind:

Personal Information
Your full name, date of birth, social security number, current address, previous addresses, current employer, and previous employers.

Credit History
All loans in your name for the past number of years including: type of loan, date of loan, amount of loan, amount owed, and payment history. This information is gathered from companies that you’ve borrowed money from so that other lenders can make an informed decision about your creditworthiness.

Inquiries
A list of all who requested a copy of your credit report in the past two years. This shows lenders if you have "shopped" for loans and shows if you have applied for any large purchases that don’t show on the report now.

Public Record Information
Tax liens, bankruptcies, child support, or legal judgments that come from public records.

All of this information is used to show if you have "overextended" your credit, your credit habits, your record in repaying debt, and your stability as a borrower.