The three organizations that keep track of peoples credit histories in America are Equifax, Experian and Trans Union. One can obtain a credit report from these companies with a simple application. The Fair Credit Reporting Act has necessitated credit organizations to provide people with their credit reports, free of charge, once annually. These credit reports can be obtained over the Internet.

A person can apply for a credit report from any one of these companies or from all three of them. However, ordering credit reports from all three companies is a time consuming job. There are certain online companies who provide credit reports from the three companies if needed. An order can be placed through an online application by furnishing personal and financial details.

Online credit reports have certain advantages over printed credit reports that are received by conventional mail. One of them is that the credit reports are updated, and there is no time lag as in printed credit reports. Also it saves the hassle of contacting three companies individually. People who order online credit reports from the three companies usually do so on a rotating basis, i.e. after a period of four months, so that they are always updated about their credit worthiness.

There is a lot of detail that is mentioned in an online credit report. The report clearly indicates the number of active accounts a person has and the balances and transactions in each for a stipulated time. Missed payments, late payments and bankruptcies are also listed. The names of the firms that have reported credit, as well as those who have made inquiries are mentioned in online credit reports.

Ordering online credit reports is catching on. To date, about 8 million people have ordered credit reports via the Internet through various agencies.