Like your credit reports from the three nationwide consumer reporting agencies, your reports from specialty consumer reporting agencies also contain personal information, like names that you use for transactions, past addresses, social security numbers, phone numbers, and employment history. They also have other information depending on the type of report. For example:
- Employers may use reports from criminal background check agencies to review job applicants or current employees;
- Landlords may use reports from a tenant screening agency to review applicants for rental housing; and
- Banks may use reports from specialty agencies such as ChexSystems or Early Warning Services to decide whether to open a bank account.
If your application for housing, employment, a bank account, insurance, or credit was denied because of information in a consumer report, the landlord, employer, bank, insurer, or creditor must tell you that you were denied because of information in your report, give you the name of the reporting agency used, and give you information about how to get a copy of that report. This is know as an adverse action notice. You can then request a free copy of that report from the consumer reporting agency if you request it within 60 days.
In addition to the free report you can get within 60 days, under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, you may be able to obtain one free copy of your report from a specialty consumer reporting agency every 12 months. To request your report from one of the specialty consumer reporting agencies, look at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's List of Consumer Reporting Companies.
This list includes the phone numbers and addresses for each specialty consumer reporting agency. You will need to contact the agency directly to request a copy of your credit report from them. They are required to provide access to a toll-free telephone number.
The easiest way to use this list is to type the name of the specialty consumer reporting agency into the box half-way down the page. After you click the "Apply Filter" button, scroll to the bottom of the page to see your search results. Click on the name of the consumer reporting agency for more information.
When you receive your report, make sure all the information is correct. If anything looks false or suspicious, make note of it. If you dispute information that is in the report, the specialty consumer reporting agency must then investigate the dispute and correct any inaccuracies it discovers.
What next step you take will depend on what type of information is listed on your specialty consumer report. See Guide 4 for an overview of disputing different kinds of coerced debt.