The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau on Friday updated its list of consumer reporting companies that provide information about credit reports, employee background checks, tenant screening, gaming, and more.
The update is an annual refresh that is performed by the CFPB to provide consumers with a comprehensive, but not exhaustive, list of companies that may be providing information to companies like debt buyers and debt collectors. The list of companies is available online, and can be searched or filtered, or it can be downloaded.
Eleven different market areas are included on the list. They are:
- Nationwide consumer reporting companies, like Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion
- Employment screening
- Tenant screening
- Check and bank screening
- Personal property insurance
- Medical
- Low-income and subprime
- Supplementary reports
- Utilities
- Retail
- Gaming
Along with providing the list of consumer reporting companies, the CFPB also included information about how consumers can request copies of their credit report, how to check specialty reports, the types of questions that may be asked to verify a consumer’s identity, guides to free credit reports and free credit scores, and how to request a credit freeze.
The CFPB also provided information and sample letters to help consumers dispute information on their credit reports, information about how credit reporting has changed during the COVID-19 pandemic, and how to submit a complaint if there are issues with the completeness or accuracy of a credit report.
There are 54 different companies included in the CFPB’s list, and the Bureau also linked to information it has published aimed at helping consumers protect their credit during the COVID-19 pandemic.
