Who Owns the Credit Bureaus? (2024)

FAQs

Who Owns the Credit Bureaus? ›

Credit bureaus are not government agencies. They are publicly traded companies owned by shareholders. The government does not run these companies, but the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) oversee them.

The credit bureaus are publicly traded companies owned by their shareholders. Although they are not government-operated, TransUnion, Equifax and Experian are regulated by the Federal Trade Commission and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

Experian (EXPGF) Ownership Overview

The ownership structure of Experian (EXPGF) stock is a mix of institutional, retail and individual investors. Approximately 23.11% of the company's stock is owned by Institutional Investors, 0.58% is owned by Insiders and 76.31% is owned by Public Companies and Individual Investors.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) helps consumers by providing educational materials and accepting complaints. It supervises banks, lenders, and large non-bank entities, such as credit reporting agencies and debt collection companies.

Credit bureaus are privately owned and privately operated companies. In contrast, credit registries—the other main type of credit reporting institution—tend to be public entities, managed by bank supervisors or central banks.

The three major credit reporting bureaus in the United States are Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. They compile credit reports on individuals, which they sell to prospective lenders and others. The three bureaus can have somewhat different information in their reports, depending on which creditors provide it to them.

Are Credit Bureaus Government Agencies? Credit bureaus are not government agencies. They are publicly traded companies owned by shareholders. The government does not run these companies, but the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) oversee them.

Walmart Credit Card reports the card's credit limit, account balance, payment history, and more to all three of the major credit bureaus: TransUnion, Equifax, and Experian. Capital One may use a specific credit bureau more than another, depending on the applicant's home state, and other factors.

Some credit cards that use Experian only reportedly include Chase Sapphire Preferred and the Citi Premier Card, among others.

Which credit bureau is most accurate? ›

There is no “best” credit bureau—all three bureaus can offer helpful information and tools to help you make financial decisions.

The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) regulates the consumer credit reporting industry. In general, the FCRA requires that industry to report your consumer credit information in a fair, timely, and accurate manner. Banks and other lenders use this information to make lending decisions.

The FCRA provides consumers with the ability to correct any inaccurate information on their credit reports, and provides for legal remedies if a credit reporting agency or furnisher violates your rights.

FICO is the independent standard in credit scoring, trusted by lenders and securitization investors for decades. FICO is an independent data analytics company. We are not a credit bureau, and we are not owned by the three major credit bureaus -- Equifax, Experian and TransUnion.

Nationwide consumer reporting companies

There are three big nationwide providers of consumer reports: Equifax, TransUnion, and Experian. Their reports contain information about your payment history, how much credit you have and use, and other inquiries and information.

TransUnion, Equifax and Experian did it again. The three major credit bureaus topped the list of complaints submitted to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau in 2022, amassing nearly twice as many as the year before. Though, to be fair, they also did a better job responding to those grievances.

Equifax Inc. was incorporated on December 20, 1913, in the State of Georgia. When did Equifax go public? The Company's stock began trading “over the counter” in 1965 and was listed on the New York Stock Exchange for the first time on May 11, 1971.

Many consumers believe that credit bureaus like Equifax, TransUnion and Experian are somehow owned, managed or otherwise controlled by the federal government, but, in fact, they aren't. At a fundamental level, all credit bureaus operate as private, for-profit companies.