The amount of information included on a credit report varies depending on the individual. But every credit report will include information in the following categories:
This section makes up the bulk of your credit report and includes:
Credit applications made in the past five years.
Account open and close dates.
Your credit limits for different accounts.
Monthly repayment history on credit accounts such as mortgages and credit cards.
Details of overdue credit accounts, which could include loans and credit cards as well as utility bills for gas, electricity or telecommunications accounts.
Some of this information – including the monthly repayment history and account open and close dates – has only recently been included in Australian credit reports, so it may take a while to show up on your credit report as CRBs gather this information.
The public record information available of credit reports could include:
Court judgments and court writs
Directorship details
Proprietor details
Bankruptcy details
Information on any debt agreements or personal insolvency
ACTIVITY: Sample Credit Report
Check out this sample credit report (.pdf) from the MoneySmart website. Take a look at how it’s laid out and then try to identify all of the details we’ve outlined above.