A consumer reporting agency is a company that regularly gathers or evaluates information about people and sells reports about them to others for fees. Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion are the most familiar, but tenant, employment, and check screening companies can be CRAs too.
Also called: CRA, credit bureau, credit reporting agency, credit reporting company, background check company, nationwide consumer reporting agency
What it means
“Consumer reporting agency” is the FCRA’s term for what most people call a credit bureau. Under 15 U.S.C. § 1681a(f), it covers any company that, for fees or on a cooperative nonprofit basis, regularly assembles or evaluates information about consumers to furnish consumer reports to third parties, using interstate commerce to do it. The CFPB more simply calls them companies that compile and sell credit reports.
The definition reaches well beyond the three big bureaus. Tenant screening companies, employment background check companies, and check and bank screening companies can all be CRAs, and they owe consumers the same core duties.
Types of CRAs
- Nationwide CRAs. The FCRA (§ 1681a(p)) describes agencies that keep files on consumers across the country, built from public records and account information furnished in the ordinary course of business. In practice: Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. The CFPB reported in 2012 that each keeps credit files on more than 200 million adults.
- Nationwide specialty CRAs. Agencies covering medical records or payments, rental history, check writing, employment history, or insurance claims nationwide.
- Other CRAs. Regional and local background, tenant, and niche reporting companies. The CFPB keeps a list of consumer reporting companies by category.
What a CRA must do
The FCRA’s core duties for every CRA include:
- Follow reasonable procedures to assure maximum possible accuracy of the information in reports (§ 1681e(b)).
- Give reports only to users with a permissible purpose (§ 1681e(a)).
- Keep obsolete information out of reports (§ 1681c).
- Give you your file disclosure on request (§ 1681g).
- Conduct a reasonable reinvestigation when you dispute (§ 1681i).
Common errors
- Mixing your file with someone with a similar name or SSN.
- Reporting you as deceased.
- Reporting a criminal record or eviction that belongs to someone else.
- Accepting a furnisher’s answer to a dispute without looking at your evidence.
When it can be an FCRA violation
A CRA that fails to follow reasonable procedures, ignores a dispute, or reports outdated information may be liable for negligent or willful noncompliance under the FCRA.
If a credit bureau or screening company won’t correct an error in your report, FCRA Attorneys offers a free case review, and you pay no fee unless we win.
Related
- Nationwide specialty consumer reporting agency
- Furnisher
- File disclosure
- Permissible purpose
- Reinvestigation
- Mixed file
- List of credit reporting agencies
- Equifax guide
- Experian guide
- TransUnion guide
- How to Dispute Credit Report Errors With Equifax, Experian and TransUnion
Sources
- 15 U.S.C. § 1681a, definitions (Cornell LII)
- 15 U.S.C. § 1681e, compliance procedures (Cornell LII)
- CFPB, What is a credit reporting company?
- CFPB, List of consumer reporting companies
- CFPB, Key Dimensions and Processes in the U.S. Credit Reporting System (2012)
Updated November 2026. This glossary is written by FCRA Attorneys from public sources. It is general information, not legal advice, and is not affiliated with any credit bureau or industry association.