The Account History Section

The core of the report: every credit account, open or closed, with its type, limit or loan amount, balance, open date, status, and month-by-month payment record.

Why it matters

This is what the scores read and what lenders study. Every late mark, every high balance, every old clean account lives here. Learning to read it turns anxiety into a checklist.

Key facts

• Accounts appear as revolving (cards), installment (loans), mortgage, or open (charge) accounts.
• Closed accounts in good standing stay on the report up to ten years; most negative marks fall off after seven.
• Each bureau's layout differs, but the fields are the same.
• An account you do not recognize is the single most urgent thing a report can show you.
• Authorized-user accounts you did not open may appear here, and they count.

In practice

1. Go account by account: name, open date, limit, balance, status. Confirm each is yours.
2. Mark any account showing a late payment you believe was on time; that is a dispute candidate.
3. Note your oldest account - its age is an asset to protect.