Credit Report
A credit report is a detailed record of your borrowing — accounts, balances, payment history, and inquiries — kept by the three major bureaus (Equifax, Experian, TransUnion). It's the raw data your credit score is built from, and lenders pull it to decide whether to approve you.
You're entitled to free weekly reports at AnnualCreditReport.com. Checking regularly catches errors and fraud early; disputing inaccuracies can raise your score, since about one in five reports contains a mistake.