List of consumer reporting companies

Market areas included on this list

Nationwide consumer reporting companies

There are three big nationwide providers of consumer reports: Equifax, TransUnion, and Experian. Their reports contain information about your payment history, how much credit you have and use, and other inquiries and information. 

Employment screening

Employment screening companies provide information such as credit history, employment, salary, and education and professional license verification to employers and others, including to non-profit volunteer organizations and to government agencies such as to verify employment income to determine eligibility for government assistance. They also provide residential address history and Social Security Number verification; criminal arrest and conviction information, as well as fingerprint information from state and federal criminal record databases; status on global watchlists, motor vehicle and driver’s record information; drug and alcohol testing and health screening information; non-profit and volunteer activity verification; and social media screening. Employment screening sometimes includes both pre-employment screening and on-going workforce monitoring. Many employment screening companies won’t have information on you unless you authorized an employer or other end-user to obtain a report. If possible, when you give your authorization, ask for the name(s) of the employment screening company being used. Contact those reporting companies to fact-check your reports. If the employer is checking your credit history in separate reports, from one or all three of the nationwide providers of consumer reports listed above, request and review those reports too. Employers must take certain steps before they decide not to hire, keep or promote you because of something in a background report. Employment screening will not impact your credit scores.

Tenant screening

Tenant screening companies provide information such as credit history, eviction information, rent payment history, identity verification, income and employment verification, and criminal background data to landlords, property management companies, and others. A tenant screening report with negative information in it, such as prior housing evictions or past due rent payments in collections, could result in a rejected lease application. Or it could result in approval of the application, but with tough conditions inserted into the lease agreement, such as a requirement that you pay months of additional rent in advance or a higher security deposit. Most tenant screening companies won’t have information on you unless you apply for rental housing or otherwise authorize a landlord or property manager to obtain a report from them. However, you should check in advance for errors in your credit report, since a credit report is a common component of tenant screening. Additionally, landlords may request your credit report as a “hard” inquiry; doing so could lower your credit scores. This is especially important to keep in mind if you intend to shop rental housing and submit multiple lease applications with different landlords. Finally, if you are rejected as a tenant for a residential property, or “conditionally accepted” with certain adverse conditions such as requiring a co-signer or a larger deposit or a higher rent payment than other applicants, the landlord or management company must provide you with an adverse action notice that includes the name(s) of the consumer reporting company it used to screen you. Contact the screener(s) to fact-check your information and dispute suspected inaccuracies as needed. Errors in your tenant screening report shouldn’t keep you from finding a place to call home. If a landlord refuses to rent to you or charges you more because of something in a background check, be sure to know your rights and protections. For more information on the tenant screening market, see our Tenant Background Checks Market Report.

Deposit account & payments screening

Banks, credit unions, and an array of consumer facing industries and merchants use deposit account and payments screening to help decide whether to offer you a checking or savings account, or to accept your personal checks and your electronic funds transfer (EFT) payment transactions. Some lenders also use deposit and payments account history data to inform eligibility and pricing for credit. You may have negative information in your report if you had a checking account before and you have an unpaid negative balance on that account, such as from an overdraft that you have not repaid, if the account was closed by the bank, or if you were suspected of fraud related to the account. If you have been a victim of bank account and/or check-writing fraud, or have had prior difficulties opening or closing a bank account (such as being denied an account), review your check and bank screening report(s) and dispute them if inaccurate. If declined for a new checking or deposit account, the bank must provide you with an “adverse action” notice that includes the name and contact information of the screening company from which the bank got the report. You can contact the reporting company and request a free copy of the report.

Personal property insurance

Fact-check your specialty insurance report when applying for or renewing insurance. Property insurance companies buy your claims and loss history data from consumer reporting companies. They use it to determine insurance eligibility and rates. Some of these consumer reporting companies may also share your driving behavior data with auto insurers,. They gather this data from your mobile phone or your motor vehicle, using GPS technology known as “telematics.” Insurers use this information to set prices for auto insurance when you get a quote or renew your policy, as described below.

Medical

Fact-check your medical specialty report before or when applying for private life, health, critical illness, long-term care, or disability income insurance. Generally, if you haven’t applied for individual life or health insurance at an insurance company that uses services from the listed company, the company won’t have a consumer report for you to request.

Low-income & subprime

Low-income and subprime reporting companies provide consumer information to companies that market and sell products and services specifically to lower-income consumers and credit applicants with impaired credit records.

Supplementary reports

The companies listed in this section sell data primarily to help entities manage credit and fraud risk. This information frequently supplements other datasets, such as the traditional credit data that the nationwide consumer reporting companies sell about you.

Telecom & utilities

Telecommunications, cable and utility companies often check your credit and other reports when you apply for their services. Applying for their services will not impact your credit scores.

Retail

These companies collect information related to retail product return and suspected exchange fraud and abuse.

Gaming & sports betting

These companies share consumer data associated with check cashing settlement services to assist gaming establishments such as casinos and racetracks with risk management.