Most consumers are aware of the three major credit reporting agencies. But Experian, Equifax and Transunion are not the only consumer reporting agencies collecting information about you.

There are roughly 400 specialty consumer reporting agencies, 40 of which may directly impact your financial viability. These specialty consumer reporting agencies collect, maintain and report information to creditors, employers, insurance companies, banks, landlords, utility companies, cell phone companies and more.

You might not know these reports exist unless you run into a problem, such as not getting a job, lease, insurance, or checking account, or when a utility company asks you to put down a deposit before starting service with you.

Specialty consumer reporting agencies collect about you when it comes to:

• Opening or using bank accounts (including writing or bouncing checks or overdrafts)
• Apartment rental payments
• Car insurance claims
• Homeowners and renters insurance claims
• Payday lending
• Utility payments
• Phone bill payments
• Employment
• Medical records or payments

You have the right to know what nationwide specialty consumer reporting companies are saying about you and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has made it easier to gain access. Until recently it was very difficult to gain access to reports maintained by specialty consumers agencies. Even more disturbing was the fact that it was virtually impossible to verify the accuracy of information reported. There was no consumer dispute process to correct mistakes or inaccurate information.

A new rule from the federal consumer watchdog agency (CFPB) recently changed how these non-traditional credit reports are regulated. It says specialty consumer reporting agencies are to provide, upon request of a consumer, a free annual disclosure of the consumer’s file, commonly known as a consumer report. These specialty reporting agencies must provide a “streamlined process” for consumers to obtain reports and a toll-free telephone number for consumer requests.

While consumers can conveniently get a free copy of their credit reports from the 3 major credit reporting agencies once every 12 months at www.annualcreditreport.com, the information compiled by other consumer reporting agencies is going to take a little more work.

You will have to order the specialty consumer reports individually from each reporting company. Not all companies are required to provide a free copy of your annual report, although under federal law all consumer reporting companies must provide you with a copy of your report for a reasonable fee.

Partial List of Specialty Consumer Agencies

Here is a list of some of the more commonly used specialty consumer reporting agencies. This list is not all-inclusive and is intended for information purposes only. For a more complete list visit the CFPB here.

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