What Are the 4 Credit Bureaus?

The four major U.S. credit bureaus are Equifax, Experian, TransUnion, and Innovis.

• Equifax - founded in 1899, provides a full credit report and a 30‑day fraud alert service; you can request your free annual report online or by phone.
• Experian - established in 1980, offers credit scores, credit monitoring, and a 'lock' feature that prevents new accounts; free annual report available through the official website.
• TransUnion - created in 1968, supplies credit files, risk assessments for lenders, and a credit score simulator; you receive a free yearly report by filing a request with the bureau.
• Innovis - often called the 'fourth bureau,' started in 1997, records a narrower set of data such as utility and telecom accounts; free annual report can be ordered directly from Innovis's portal.

Innovis matters because it holds unique consumer data that Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion typically do not capture, and many lenders - especially sub‑prime auto and rent‑to‑own companies - run checks specifically with Innovis. If a borrower has a negative entry only on Innovis, that record can still sway approval odds, interest rates, or rental eligibility, even though most people never look at this bureau.

Because Innovis is less publicized, errors often go unnoticed; pulling its report lets you spot issues that would otherwise affect your score silently. Request your free Innovis report now, then compare it with the other three bureaus in the upcoming 'see how each bureau differs in data and coverage' section.

Each bureau collects a slightly different slice of your credit universe, so their reports can show distinct balances, tradelines, and even unique data types. Below is a quick side‑by‑side of what Equifax, Experian, TransUnion, and Innovis typically include.

• Equifax: largest traditional file, captures long‑term credit history, most public records, and many utility or payday‑loan accounts; updates nightly for major lenders.
• Experian: focuses on core revolving and installment data, adds rental‑payment and subscription info through Experian Boost; provides both FICO and VantageScore models.
• TransUnion: strong on medical and collection entries, includes detailed credit‑usage trends via CreditVision; refreshes data every 30 days for most creditors.
• Innovis: smaller consumer file, emphasizes alternative data like telecom and utility bills; often missing mortgage or auto‑loan histories, making it popular for pre‑screening offers.

Lenders typically pull reports from Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion for mortgages, credit cards, and auto loans; Innovis appears only with some subprime or alternative lenders.

• Mortgages - most banks, credit unions, and wholesale lenders request the three major bureaus (Equifax, Experian, TransUnion) to verify income, debt‑to‑income ratios, and payment history. A few niche lenders may also pull Innovis, but it's not standard.
• Credit cards - issuers almost always run all three major bureaus. The combined score gives a fuller view of credit utilization and recent activity. Innovis data may be used by issuers that target thin‑file or high‑risk applicants.
• Auto loans - dealerships and financing companies generally query Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion to assess risk and set APRs. Some subprime auto lenders add Innovis to capture borrowers who lack a full tri‑bureau record.

Because Innovis covers fewer merchants, its impact on mainstream loan decisions remains limited; checking all four reports still helps spot discrepancies before you apply.

You can get a free credit report today from Equifax, Experian, TransUnion, and Innovis by following these steps.

1. Visit Annual Credit Report website.
   • Choose 'Equifax,' 'Experian,' and 'TransUnion.'
   • Fill out the personal‑information form; the site verifies your identity with questions from each bureau's file.
2. Submit the request.
   • The three reports appear instantly as downloadable PDFs or can be mailed within 15 days.
3. For Innovis, go to Innovis consumer‑report portal.
   • Click 'Free Credit Report.'
   • Answer the same identity questions; Innovis delivers the report online.
4. Review each report for errors, unfamiliar accounts, or outdated information.
5. Save or print the PDFs.
   • Store them in a secure folder; you'll need them for the upcoming '7‑step checklist to compare all four reports' section.

Grab all four credit files and run through this quick audit so you know exactly how each bureau reports you.

1. Download each report - get the free Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion files at Annual Credit Report website, and request Innovis's yearly copy from Innovis portal.
2. Match personal data - confirm name, address, Social Security number, and date of birth are identical across all four; any typo can cause downstream errors.
3. Line‑up account listings - list every credit card, loan, and lease; note which bureau shows an account that the others omit.
4. Check balances and status - verify each balance, payment history, and 'open/closed' flag matches; a missed payment on one report can affect a score dramatically.
5. Compare inquiry sections - count hard pulls and soft checks; discrepancies often reveal lenders reporting only to a single bureau.
6. Spot missing data types - look for rental, utility, or medical accounts that appear in one file but not the others; these can boost or hurt scores depending on the bureau.
7. Log every inconsistency - create a brief table (bureau vs issue) to prioritize disputes; this prepares you for the next step of correcting errors.

• Equifax: updates most accounts within 30 days of creditor reporting, with large banks often posting changes in 24‑48 hours (Equifax update schedule)
• Experian: typically reflects new data in 7‑10 days; high‑volume lenders can push updates in 48 hours, while some smaller creditors may take up to 30 days (Experian credit timeline)
• TransUnion: usually posts changes within 14‑21 days; real‑time feeds from major banks appear in 24‑72 hours, and niche lenders sometimes need 30‑60 days (TransUnion update frequency)
• Innovis: follows a 30‑day cycle for most accounts; a few fintech partners provide daily feeds, but many traditional creditors report monthly (Innovis reporting schedule)

You dispute errors by filing a separate, written challenge with Equifax, Experian, TransUnion, and Innovis.

1. Collect proof - Pull your free reports, highlight the wrong item, and save the original creditor's statement, payment records, or court documents.
2. Write a concise letter - State the bureau's name, the exact line item, why it's inaccurate, and attach copies of your proof. Keep the tone factual and brief.
3. Choose the filing method - Use each bureau's online dispute portal for faster processing, or send the letter by certified mail to their listed address (Equifax: P.O. Box 740241, Atlanta, GA 30374; Experian: P.O. Box 4500, Allen, TX 75013; TransUnion: P.O. Box 2000, Chester, PA 19016; Innovis: P.O. Box 26, Austin, TX 73301).
4. Track the 30‑day window - Bureaus must investigate within 30 days. Record the date you mailed or submitted online and set a reminder to check the status.
5. Review the results - When the bureau replies, verify that the item is corrected, deleted, or updated. If the result is unsatisfactory, repeat steps 1‑4 with additional evidence or request a reinvestigation.
6. Document everything - Keep copies of all correspondence, receipts, and the bureau's final decision for future reference or for lenders who may request it.
7. Escalate if needed - Should a bureau refuse to correct a clear error, file a complaint with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and consider consulting a credit‑repair attorney.

Why an error might appear on only one bureau - Each of the four U.S. credit bureaus - Equifax, Experian, TransUnion, and Innovis - gets data from a unique set of lenders, collection agencies, and service providers. If a creditor submits information to only Equifax, that entry can be correct, missing, or mistyped there while the other three bureaus show nothing at all.

Differences in reporting schedules also matter; one bureau may update a new account within 30 days, another may wait 45 days, so a temporary mismatch can look like an error on a single report. Occasionally, the consumer's identifier (Social Security number, name spelling) is recorded differently, causing a record to attach to the wrong file at TransUnion but not at Experian. Finally, Innovis often captures utility and telecom data that the major bureaus do not, so a utility‑billing mistake can appear solely on its report.

When you spot a discrepancy, start by comparing the three major reports and the Innovis report side‑by‑side - exactly what the '7‑step checklist to compare all four reports' later covers. Note which bureau shows the wrong entry, then follow the 'dispute errors at each bureau step‑by‑step' guide to file a dispute directly with that bureau and, if needed, contact the furnisher.

Remember that each bureau follows its own update timeline, so a corrected entry may reappear after a few weeks. For a deeper look at how data flows into the bureaus, see how credit bureaus receive information.

For joint accounts and authorized‑user cards, Truist typically pulls the same credit bureau it used for the primary applicant, most often Experian. The bank may rotate to Equifax or TransUnion if Experian data is unavailable, but the hard pull follows the primary applicant's bureau choice, mirroring the pattern described in the mortgage section.

For business credit applications, Truist typically pulls a commercial bureau rather than a consumer one, most frequently Experian Business; Equifax Business or Dun & Bradstreet can appear for specific loan products or regional offices. This business‑bureau selection operates independently of the consumer bureau used for personal accounts, as detailed in the upcoming real‑application examples. Truist's bureau selection guide

Military personnel and non‑citizen residents do not receive a magic 'wipe‑clean' from the credit bureaus; instead, Equifax, Experian, TransUnion, and Innovis apply specific legal safeguards and data‑source rules. The Servicemembers Civil Relief Act caps interest rates, guarantees a free credit freeze, and lets service members dispute deployment‑related errors, but removal of derogatory marks still follows the standard dispute workflow. Quarterly status files from the Department of Defense alert the four bureaus to active duty, reserve, or discharge changes, preventing accidental delinquencies from being recorded.

Immigrants who lack a Social Security number may use an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number; each bureau accepts an ITIN for limited products, but the resulting file typically remains thin compared with a SSN‑linked report (as we covered above).

A deployed soldier finds a credit‑card payment marked late because the creditor ignored the SCRA‑mandated 60‑day grace period; filing a dispute with Equifax, Experian, TransUnion, and Innovis removes the late entry after verification. An undocumented tenant pays rent and phone bills using an ITIN; Experian records the on‑time payments, while Innovis shows a sparse file that still improves the tenant's score modestly. Both scenarios illustrate that the bureaus honor legal protections without automatically erasing negative data, and that coverage varies across the four agencies.