Credit glossary
TransUnion
One of the three nationwide credit bureaus, keeping its own credit file on you separate from Equifax's and Experian's.
TransUnion's file reflects what its reporting lenders send, so it can differ from your other two reports. Classic mortgage scoring uses FICO Score 4 on TransUnion data. TransUnion publishes a plain account ratings key for its payment grid, in which OK means current, CO means collection and CH means charge-off, a different use of CO than many people assume.
Disputes by mail go to TransUnion Consumer Solutions, P.O. Box 2000, Chester, PA 19016-2000. Freezes are free online or through its automated phone line, while protected-consumer freezes for children must be requested by mail. TransUnion also says it removes completed Chapter 13 bankruptcies seven years after filing, while Chapter 7 cases can stay up to ten.
Guides that go deeper
- Why your three credit scores don't match, and when to worryYour Experian, Equifax and TransUnion scores come from three separate files updated on different days. What causes the gap, and when it points to an error.
- How to read the payment history grid on your credit reportEach account on your report has a month-by-month strip of OK, 30, 60, 90 and other codes. What each one means, which marks are errors, and what to check.
- Chapter 7 vs. Chapter 13 on your credit report: the timeline differenceChapter 7 can stay on your report 10 years, a completed Chapter 13 usually 7, both from the filing date. How each one reports, and how mortgage rules treat them.
Sources
- How to Read Your Credit Report, TransUnion
- Dispute your credit, TransUnion
- Freeze by Mail or Phone, TransUnion
- How Long Does Bankruptcy Stay on Your Credit Report?, TransUnion
- FICO Score versions, myFICO
This is education, not legal or financial advice. Spot an error? Tell us and we'll fix it.