How to Read and Understand Your Credit Report

Requesting a copy of your credit report is not difficult, once you have the proper identification. We obtain information from companies such as banks, credit unions, financial institutions, credit card companies, court houses and collection agencies about the reimbursement of your mortgages and liabilities. This information is very important for creating your credit report.

When you make requests for purposes such as loans, your credit report is then created. Your credit report would contain these basic elements;

1. Your personal information such as your name, address, date of birth, Tax Registration Number and National Insurance Scheme Number
2. Your public records, such as bankruptcies and judgments
3. Information on your account(s) such as open and closed mortgages
4. Inquiries which have been made by institutions checking your credit history.

As Credit Bureaus are new to Bahamas the credit information databases will take a little time to mature, but as they do, the credit scores will become more predictive and reflective of how Bahamians manage their credit.

The standard score range is typically from 79 – 599, with 300 being very bad and 599 being exceptionally good, which is rare. On average a good score is in the range of 450 to 500.

Sample Credit Report