Frequently Asked Questions

What is a credit bureau?

A credit bureau, credit rating agency, or consumer reporting agency (CRA) is an agency that compiles and distributes your credit and personal information to creditors.

What do credit bureaus do?

Credit bureaus gather information about you and your credit history on an ongoing basis. This information may include payment habits, number of credit accounts, balance of accounts, and length and place of employment. Lenders, such as credit card companies and banks, provide this information to the bureaus in return for the ability to request credit information about you. Each of the credit bureaus collects information differently and uses its own proprietary method to determine your credit rating. Your credit rating measures your credit worthiness – the ability to pay back a loan – and affects the interest rate applied to your loans.

Who are the three major credit bureaus?

XDS – 011 645 9100
TransUnion – 011 214 6000
Experian / KreditInform – 011 799 3400