What is a Credit Bureau?

A Credit Bureau is a company that collects and maintains consumer credit and payment information, and provides that information to its customers or other authorized users for a fee. A credit bureau is also referred to as a Credit Repository, a Consumer Reporting Agency or a Credit Reporting Agency (CRA). Credit bureaus collect and maintain personal information and financial data on individuals from a variety of sources, referred to as Information or Data Furnishers, with which the bureaus have a business relationship. Information Furnishers are typically creditors, lenders, utilities and debt collection agencies that a consumer has had a financial relationship with. Information Furnishers voluntarily report their payment experience with the consumer to the credit bureaus. Credit bureaus also sell a credit score their business customers can use to more rapidly assess the likelihood that an individual will repay a given debt, based on the frequency that other individuals in similar situations have defaulted.