When people think about their “credit report,” they usually imagine the three big names — Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. Those companies dominate the credit world, but they are only the tip of the iceberg.
Across the United States, there are actually more than 150 consumer reporting agencies (CRAs) that gather, store, and share personal data about individuals. These companies influence whether you can rent an apartment, qualify for a loan, get a job, or even open a checking account. Some focus on credit history, w ahile others track rental behavior, banking activity, or insurance claims.
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) keeps an official List of Consumer Reporting Companiesthat is updated each year. The list provides contact information, types of data collected, and instructions for requesting your report or disputing an error. Understanding how these companies work — and which ones might have information about you — is the first step toward protecting your financial reputation.
The Big Three Credit Bureaus
The most well-known consumer reporting agencies are Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. These nationwide bureaus track your borrowing and repayment history on credit cards, auto loans, mortgages, and other accounts. Lenders use this information to decide whether to extend credit and what interest rates to charge.
Each bureau maintains its own file on you, which may differ slightly due to variations in data furnished by creditors. Because of the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), you are entitled to one free report per year from each of these agencies through AnnualCreditReport.com. You can also dispute any inaccurate information that appears on your reports — a process that’s critical if you’ve ever been the victim of identity theft or reporting mistakes.
But while these three giants shape much of the financial world, they represent only a small fraction of the companies that collect data on you.
Tenant and Housing Screening Companies
Outside of traditional credit, one of the largest categories of CRAs involves tenant screening. Landlords, property managers, and housing associations often rely on tenant screening companies to help decide whether to approve a rental application.
These agencies, such as CoreLogic Rental Property Solutions, TransUnion SmartMove, and RealPage, gather and sell detailed information about renters. A tenant screening report might include your rental payment history, prior eviction records, criminal background, and even your credit information.
For example, if you were late on rent several times at a previous apartment, that record could appear in your file and affect future rental approvals. Similarly, if a criminal record appears — even if it’s outdated or inaccurate — a landlord could deny your application.
Under the FCRA, you have the right to request a copy of your tenant screening report and dispute any incorrect information. This is particularly important for renters who have been turned down unexpectedly, as inaccurate eviction records and misidentified criminal matches are among the most common errors found in these databases.
Employment Background Screening
When you apply for a job, there’s a good chance your potential employer uses an employment screening company to verify your background. These agencies — including HireRight, First Advantage, and Checkr — compile records that employers rely on to make hiring decisions.
An employment screening report can include your employment history, education verification, professional licenses, driving record, criminal background, and sometimes even credit data if the job involves handling money or sensitive information.
While background checks can help employers make safer hiring decisions, they can also contain errors. A criminal record that belongs to someone with a similar name, a misreported job termination, or a missing credential can unfairly harm your reputation and cost you job opportunities.
The FCRA requires that employers notify you before taking any adverse action based on a background check. You must be given a copy of the report and a chance to dispute any errors before the decision becomes final. Many people don’t realize they can ask the background screening company directly for a copy of their file — just like with credit reports — to ensure everything is accurate.
Insurance Reporting and Risk Data
Insurance companies also depend on specialized CRAs to assess risk and set premiums. These companies include LexisNexis Risk Solutions, A-PLUS Property, and Milliman IntelliScript.
LexisNexis, for example, collects information about prior auto and property insurance claims and provides this data to insurers through the Comprehensive Loss Underwriting Exchange (CLUE). If you’ve filed several insurance claims in the past few years, your premiums could increase as a result of what appears on your LexisNexis report.
Milliman IntelliScript specializes in health and life insurance. It uses prescription history data from pharmacy benefit managers to create a profile that insurers use when evaluating new policies. Even though consumers don’t interact with these agencies directly, the information they store can significantly impact the outcome of an insurance application or renewal.
You can request a copy of your insurance report and dispute any outdated or inaccurate information — just as you would with credit or tenant screening reports.
Banking and Checking Account History
If you’ve ever been denied a new checking or savings account, the decision probably came from a banking history report. Companies like ChexSystems, Early Warning Services, and TeleCheck keep track of consumers’ banking behavior.
These databases record overdrafts, unpaid fees, bounced checks, accounts closed for cause, and suspected fraud activity. Financial institutions use these reports to determine if someone poses a “risk” when opening new accounts. A single unpaid overdraft fee or disputed transaction could prevent you from opening an account elsewhere for several years.
The good news is that, under federal law, you can obtain one free copy of your banking report from each company every year. You can also dispute inaccurate entries or request a correction. Keeping an eye on your ChexSystems or Early Warning report can save you from unexpected denials when switching banks.
Medical and Specialty Reporting Agencies
Some CRAs handle even more specialized data. MIB Group, for instance, maintains records on individuals who have applied for life, health, disability, or long-term care insurance. Insurers use MIB reports to identify discrepancies in applications or to verify previous medical disclosures.
Other agencies like Innovis and PRBC/PayRentBuildCredit focus on alternative data — such as rent, phone, and utility payments — to help consumers who don’t have traditional credit histories build a record of reliability.
While these reports can sometimes help expand credit access, errors or outdated information in them can also lead to unfair denials. Just like with any CRA, you’re entitled to request and review your file.
Why It Matters to You
Whether you realize it or not, dozens of companies could be maintaining data about you right now. That information determines whether you qualify for housing, employment, insurance, or financial services — and it doesn’t always tell the full story.
Under the FCRA, you have several important rights:
The right to know what’s in your file. You can request a copy of your report from any consumer reporting agency.
The right to dispute inaccurate information. If something is wrong or incomplete, the agency must investigate and correct it.
The right to be notified. If your information is used to deny credit, employment, or housing, the company must tell you and provide the name of the CRA that supplied the report.
Checking your reports regularly is one of the best ways to protect yourself from errors, fraud, or identity theft. Even if you’ve never had a problem with credit, a small mistake on a lesser-known report could still block opportunities — like renting an apartment or getting hired for a new job.
How to Check Your Reports
You can visit the CFPB’s official page to see the full list of consumer reporting companies and find out how to contact each one:
👉 CFPB Consumer Reporting Companies List
or download the CFPB Consumer Reporting Companies List (PDF).
Each company listed includes mailing addresses, phone numbers, and online request forms where you can submit a report request or file a dispute. It’s a good idea to check at least once a year, especially for tenant, employment, and banking reports, which can change without your knowledge.
The Bottom Line
Consumer reporting agencies are far more widespread than most people realize. They operate quietly in the background but play a huge role in shaping your financial and personal life. Whether it’s a landlord evaluating your rental history, an insurer checking your claims, or a bank reviewing your account record, these companies help others make decisions about you — often without you knowing it.
If you find inaccurate information in any of your reports and the company refuses to correct it, contact The Credit Attorney. Our firm helps consumers challenge violations of the Fair Credit Reporting Act and holds reporting agencies accountable for the harm caused by false or misleading data.
Your reputation, credit, and future should be based on facts — not on reporting errors buried in a system you didn’t even know existed.
