I. Personal Information
First, your personal information, including your name, SSN, birth date and current and past addresses is listed. Current and former places of employment are sometimes included, along with any important "alerts" including whether or not you have been the victim of identity theft and if you are currently serving in active duty in the military.
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II. Credit History
Your report also includes a comprehensive listing of all trade lines, loans, credit cards, mortgages, and other outstanding debt currently open in your name. Any credit cards or loans you have closed or already paid off (called inactive accounts) will remain on.
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III. Credit Report Inquiries
When you apply for a loan, you authorize your lender to ask for a copy of your credit report. This is how inquiries appear on your credit report. The inquiries section contains a list of everyone who accessed your credit report within the last two years.
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IV. Public Records
Data is collected from the court system and from debt collection agencies. Credit reporting agencies also collect public record information from state and county courts, and information on overdue debt from collection agencies. This information can stay on your credit report for up to ten years.
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IV. a. Bankruptcy
A legal filing that relieves a person of responsibility for all or some of their debts because they are unable to pay.
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IV. b. Foreclosure
A record indicating that a mortgaged property has been taken over by the creditor because the borrower has defaulted on the loan.
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IV. c. Judgment
Judgments are awarded after an order is set by the court. This means that a credit card company or collection agency filed a lawsuit for your unpaid credit card balance and won. Judgments give creditors collection rights they would not otherwise have.
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IV d. Tax Lien
A claim filed by a local, state or federal tax agency against a person who owes back taxes.
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V. Late Payments
Past due on a credit card means that you failed to make the minimum payment required by your credit card provider by the due date indicated on your last credit card statement.
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VI. Charge-offs
A charge-off is the declaration by a creditor (usually a credit card account) that an amount of debt is unlikely to be collected.
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