There are many agencies that collect data on us these days. 
Starting from a simple checking account to a huge mortgage, employment, getting any type of insurance, everyone wants to verify and check our background. Everything we do is recorded and analyzed. All the pricing options seem to be based on these reports. Have you ever wondered why you are paying $1000 on your home owners insurance when your neighbor boasts about paying less than half of that? Did you know that the content of the reports might prevent a lot of banks from allowing you to open an account with them? You might think you nailed that interview. You also know they checked your references and everyone gave a glowing review. Then you sign a waiver for doing a background check following which the employer calls back and vaguely says you are not a good fit. What happened? Well, all the answers could be in one of these reports. So what do “they” know about you?
Credit reports
1) AnnualCreditReport (FREE): Everyone knows about the importance of credit reports and the role they play in our day to day lives. I wrote a detailed post on how to get your credit reports here — What is in your credit report & Why should you care?. In short, you can (and you should) get your credit reports from the three major bureaus, Experian, TransUnion and Equifax, through AnnualCreditReports. Some people get all their reports at once or space it out and get one every four months.
2) Innovis : Innovis markets itself as “a provider of customer relationship management solutions”. They are not as widely used as the 3 major bureaus but they do collect data about your credit. So it might be useful to see what they have about you. Some states offer it for free, some don’t. Check here if you can get one for free – Innovis Report Fee based on state. Regardless of the state you live in, if you have been denied credit in the past 60 days you are eligible to get a copy for free – Order Innovis Credit Report.
3) EarlyWarning : Another agency that collects consumer information but specializes in Identity Theft and fraud prevention. To request your consumer report information call their customer service at 1-800-325-7775. More information is available here.
If your AnnualCreditReport is perfect and you don’t see any suspicious activity in any of the three credit reports, it might not make sense to pay and get the Innovis or EarlyWarning reports. But if you are a victim of Identity theft check all possible reports to make sure you are in the clear.
Banking
4) Chex Systems (FREE): Chex Systems, Inc. is a consumer-reporting agency governed by the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) and other laws. Chex Systems, Inc. provides account verification services to its financial institution members to aid them in identifying account applicants who may have a history of account mishandling (for example, people whose accounts were overdrawn and then closed by them or their bank). Chex Systems is used by a large number of banks and credit unions to verify your banking history. If you have a negative record in your Chex System report you might be denied the opportunity of opening an account in your favorite bank. Request your ChexSystems consumer report here. Each incident stays on your record for five years.
Insurance – Auto
5) C.L.U.E ® Auto Report (FREE): The C.L.U.E. ®Auto report provides a seven year history of automobile insurance losses associated with an individual. The following data will be identified for each loss: date of loss, loss type, and amount paid along with general information such as policy number, claim number and insurance company name. Check out a sample report and get your C.L.U.E. Report here.
Insurance – Property Loss
6) C.L.U.E ® Personal Property Report (FREE) : Similar to the Auto report, The C.L.U.E. ®Personal Property report provides a seven year history of losses associated with an individual and his/her personal property. The following data will be identified for each loss: date of loss, loss type, and amount paid along with general information such as policy number, claim number and insurance company name. Check out a sample report and get your C.L.U.E. ®Personal Property report here.
7) A-PLUS Loss history (FREE): Automobile-Property Loss Underwriting Service. According to their website – More than 1,440 insurance companies — representing 95 percent of the industry by premium volume — contribute reports of property claims to the A-PLUS database. A-PLUS is a smaller property and liability claims database designed for insurance underwriters. A-PLUS will provide one free loss-history report in any 12-month period. Request your A-PLUS loss-history report by calling 1-800-627-3487. More information here.
Tenant History
8 ) Choice Trust Tenant history (FREE) : Tenant history is extremely important if you are renter. The Resident Data Inc. Tenant History report contains information related to your tenant history as well as other information regarding your background. This is not a comprehensive database. According to their website — “Our files would only contain information on you if ChoicePoint provided your Tenant History Report to a housing provider”. You are entitled to receive a FREE copy of your report every 12 months. Get your ChoiceTrust Tenant History report here.
Medical History
9) MIB Consumer File (FREE) : MIB maintains a database for Members to exchange confidential information of underwriting significance when an individual applies for life, health, disability income, long-term care or critical illness insurance. Members are insurers that write individually underwritten life, disability income, health, long-term care or critical illness insurance. Your consumer file contains medical conditions, tests and other non medical information like you whether you have a dangerous hobby or whether you are a smoker. You could get denied for life insurance because you have a poor driving record. Its all in this file: Request your MIB consumer file here.
Employment History
10) ChoiceTrust Employment History Report (FREE) : Come from the same source as Tenant history. The employment history report doesn’t claim to be comprehensive. But this is what your potential employer would see when they run a background check. The ChoicePoint Workplace Solutions Inc. Employment History report contains information related to your employment history as well as other information regarding your background. If none of your employers used ChoiceTrust and used some other smaller/local company to get your background information you won’t find your report here. Nevertheless its worth checking to see if there is any negative information. Check your ChoiceTrust Employment history report here. You can get one for free every 12 months.
Driving History
11) DMV Driving History : There are employers that look at your driving history too, even if the job does not require any driving for business. This record will also influence your auto insurance rate. You can get your driving record from your local Department of Motor Vehicles. It will cost, depending on the state, anywhere from free – $15. For example, California residents can get their driving history by filling out this form. CA mails you the record. Some states like North Carolina offer it online too.
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This is very useful! I didn’t know half these reports existed.
I’m glad you posted this! I can’t wait to get all my reports and fix them.
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