An agency which collects and sells information about the creditworthiness of individuals. A credit reporting agency does not make any decisions about whether a specific person should be extended credit or not. However, it does collect information that it considers relevant to a person's credit habits and history, and uses this information to assign a credit score to indicate how creditworthy a person is. When a prospective creditor approaches a credit reporting agency to inquire about a particular person, they are sold a credit report which contains all the information relevant to the person and the credit score calculated by the agency (some creditors might have an ongoing subscription to credit bureau). The prospective creditor then uses that information to decide whether to extend the applicant the desired credit or not. Same as credit bureau. also called consumer reporting agency.

Copyright©2009 by InvestorWords.com. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Reproduction of all or part of this glossary and/or this page, in any format, without written consent is prohibited. If you have questions about this dictionary please feel free to contact us feedback\@\investorguide.com