 TITLE: When Is a Credit File Created? CONTENT: What Is a Consumer Credit File?\n-------------------------------\nA consumer credit file sometimes gets confused with a consumer credit report, but technically the two are different.\nA **credit file** refers to the information that one of the three major consumer credit bureaus (Experian, TransUnion or Equifax) has about you within its database. It may include, for example, information you supplied when applying for a credit card, as the credit card company may send the information from your application to the bureau. Your name, address and Social Security number from the application may be added to the file.\nIf you're approved for the credit card, the card issuer will also report your card account's information (such as when the account was opened and your credit limit) as well as the timeliness of your monthly payments. Your credit file may also include information regarding your recent applications for new credit, certain public records and records of any accounts in collections.\nA **credit report**, on the other hand, is the information in your credit file organized in a way that's consumable by the party requesting it, whether that's you or a potential lender. Not everything in your credit file ends up on your credit report. Records of most late debt payments, for instance, shouldn't appear on your credit report if they're more than 7 years old.\nYour credit report is used to generate your credit scores and may be viewed by lenders to assess your creditworthiness. You can request a free copy of your credit report from all three credit bureaus through AnnualCreditReport.com.\nNeither your credit report nor your credit file contains information about your employment status, income or assets, even if you've provided that information on an application for credit.\nIn credit-world speak, the companies that send information to credit bureaus are called data furnishers, and the accounts that appear in your credit file are called tradelines. END