A role with financial responsibility
An employment credit file, ordered where the role and the law allow financial history to be considered.
Credit reports desk
Credit files, read for the decision in front of you.
A credit score is a summary. The file behind it is the evidence. We request the report that fits your lawful purpose, read the accounts and public record items, and return the findings by email.
- Desk
- Consumer, employment, and business credit research
- Coverage
- Files from the United States and international sources
- Delivery
- Email to the address that placed the request
01 / Files
Four credit files
The file follows the subject and the purpose. The full catalogue is on the services page.
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01
Consumer credit reports
A credit file for an individual, requested under the rules that govern permissible use and released to the requester.
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02
Employment credit reports
Credit information for roles where financial history is a lawful part of the hiring decision.
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03
Business credit reports
Payment history, trade lines, and public record items for a company rather than an individual.
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04
International credit reports
Credit research for subjects whose financial history sits outside the United States.
02 / Rules
Consumer files have a gate
A lawful purpose is checked before the file is pulled.
Federal law limits who may pull a consumer credit file.
The Fair Credit Reporting Act sets the permitted reasons. The desk will ask what the report is for before a consumer file is requested, and it will tell you what the issuing source requires as evidence of that purpose.
Business credit files follow different rules from consumer files. Even so, the source being used may ask for a stated purpose, so the request is scoped before anything is ordered.
03 / Fit
Which credit file fits the question
A company under review
A business credit file, read alongside entity and ownership research from the business desk.
A subject abroad
An international credit report, scoped to the country and the records that its sources will release.
04 / Intake
What to send with a request
The purpose decides whether a consumer file can be ordered at all.
The desk will confirm the purpose before it confirms the file.
- The name and address as they appear on the file.
- The purpose of the request.
- Any signed authorization the source requires.
- The return email address and a telephone number.
05 / Questions
Questions we hear
Who may request a consumer credit report?
Federal law allows a consumer file to be requested for permitted purposes. The desk confirms the purpose before the request is placed and explains what the source requires.
Can I request my own credit file?
Yes. A request on your own file is a permitted purpose, and the report is released to you.
Is a business credit file treated the same way?
No. Business credit files follow different access rules from consumer files, though the source may still ask for a stated purpose.
How are results delivered?
By email to the address that placed the request, with the source and the scope of the file noted.
06 / Reference
Where credit rules are written
Credit reporting, employment use, and business filings each have a public rulebook. These offices publish it. Links below open in a new tab.
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
Consumer guidance on credit files, scores, and dispute rights.
National Consumer Law Center
Legal research and advocacy on consumer credit, debt, and privacy.
IdentityTheft.gov
Reporting steps and recovery plans when personal information is misused.
USA.gov
A starting point for federal, state, and local government services.
GovInfo
Official federal publications, including statutes and the United States Code.
PACER
Federal court dockets, including civil cases that follow a debt.
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
Federal rules on employment decisions and financial information.
Small Business Administration
Federal guidance and services for companies operating in the United States.
Global Legal Entity Identifier Foundation
Legal entity identifiers used to tell apart companies with similar names.
Federal Register
Notices, rules, and filings published by federal agencies.
These are public resources, not endorsements. Access rules vary by source and by the purpose of the request.
07 / Next step
Need a credit file pulled for a lawful purpose?
Tell the desk who the file is for and what the decision is. The scope and the source requirements are confirmed before the request moves forward. For a company file, start with the business checks desk; for a court file, the criminal records desk.