These bureaus are also referred to as Credit Reporting Agencies. They are privately held companies that sell your personal and financial information in the form of “credit reports” to businesses (like Visa, American Express, MasterCard, etc.) who use that information to make an educated decision on whether or not to lend to you. Due to secret-keeping behavior by these companies in the past, and the ever-increasing importance of credit in the lives of Americans, the government created laws to empower consumers to defend themselves from misrepresentation in the financial world. Unfortunately, even with these laws in place, the processes to challenge these entities and the information they report about can be very complex and time-consuming. That’s why consumers hire us to work on their behalf.