 TITLE: Why Doesn’t My Mortgage Appear on My Credit Report? CONTENT: Reasons Why Your Mortgage Might Be Missing From Your Credit Report\n------------------------------------------------------------------\nThere are several possible reasons your mortgage might not show up on your credit report.\n*   **Your lender doesn't report to the credit bureaus.** Lenders are not required by law to report to credit bureaus. Although most major banks and financial institutions do report, some (generally smaller lenders) do not. Some lenders report to one or two of the major consumer credit bureaus but not to all three.\n*   **The mortgage is only in your spouse's name.** Unless your name appears on the mortgage, the mortgage will not show up on your credit report, even if you are married and live in the same house. Unfortunately, changing this generally requires refinancing your loan, a costly and time-consuming process.\n*   **There's an error in the loan papers.** Rarely, a simple mistake when filing loan paperwork, such as a misspelled name, can keep your mortgage off your credit report. You might also have a problem if your mortgage is in a different name than you normally use. If you just got married and took out a mortgage under your new, married name, for example, or if you're a Junior but your mortgage documents don't include that suffix, your mortgage may not show up on your credit history. When applying for a mortgage, make sure to use identity info consistent with what's on your credit report.\n*   **There's a delay in reporting.** Lenders typically report to credit bureaus every month. However, it generally takes 30 to 60 days for a new or refinanced mortgage account to show up on your credit report. At times when a lot of people are buying homes or refinancing, it could take up to 90 days.\n*   **You chose a nontraditional financing method.** For example, if you purchased the home directly from its previous owner and are making payments to them (known as seller financing), your payments won't be reported to a credit bureau. END