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Credit reports can exist beyond the files held by the three familiar nationwide credit bureaus. Specialty consumer reporting companies focus on particular industries or types of information, so the companies relevant to you depend on the application or decision at hand. Here are six examples, what is known about them, and how to request and check your reports.
What are specialty credit reporting agencies?
“Small credit reporting agencies” is an informal phrase, not a formal category. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) calls these firms consumer reporting companies; some focus on particular industries or consumer segments rather than broad credit histories. They are not interchangeable, and a report from one does not necessarily serve the same purpose as a report from another.
The CFPB’s consumer reporting company directory includes nationwide bureaus and specialty companies. It was current as of January 2025, is not exhaustive, and describes companies using information they provided that the CFPB says it has not independently verified. The six companies below are examples, not a definitive list or a claim that each is small in corporate size.
Six consumer reporting companies to know
1. Innovis
Innovis is listed in the CFPB directory. The listing indicates that consumers may request a free report and place a freeze. Check its current directory entry for the available request and freeze instructions. The available information does not support calling it a universal “fourth bureau” or claiming that particular lenders use it.
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2. ChexSystems
ChexSystems describes itself as a nationwide specialty consumer reporting agency covered by the Fair Credit Reporting Act. Its report may be relevant when you apply for a deposit account. The company says consumers may request a free consumer disclosure report once every 12 months; use its official website for the current request process.
3. LexisNexis Risk Solutions
LexisNexis Risk Solutions says its information solutions serve businesses and government. Its consumer information products may draw on public records, publicly available data, proprietary data, and third-party sources. Consumers can request a LexisNexis Consumer Disclosure Report through the company’s consumer portal. The contents and relevance of a report depend on the product and the information maintained.
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4. National Consumer Telecom & Utilities Exchange (NCTUE)
NCTUE appears in the CFPB directory, which indicates a free report and freeze are available. It is a company to check when your question concerns a telecom or utility application. Consult the current directory entry and NCTUE’s official instructions for request details.
5. SageStream
The CFPB says SageStream provides supplementary reports to auto lenders, credit card issuers, retailers, utilities, mobile phone providers, and other service providers. The Bureau also says LexisNexis Risk Solutions owns SageStream. Its directory listing indicates free report access and a freeze; use the current entry for consumer instructions.
6. CoreLogic Credco
CoreLogic Credco is included in the CFPB directory, but the available company-specific information does not establish its present report contents or consumer request procedure. If you think it may be relevant, check its current directory entry or official consumer channel rather than assuming what is in its files.
Which company should you check?
Start with the event that prompted your search. A deposit-account application, an auto or credit-card decision, a telecom or utility application, and a question involving public-record or identity information may point to different reporting companies. SageStream’s CFPB description, for example, names several types of service providers that receive supplementary reports; that does not mean every provider uses it.
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These reports should not be treated as equivalent products or ranked as if they all feed a single credit score. The CFPB directory is a useful starting point for identifying possible companies, but its listings do not prove that a specific company supplied information for a particular decision.
How to get and review your reports
- Find relevant companies. Search the CFPB’s consumer reporting company directory for entries related to the application or decision. The directory was current as of January 2025 and does not list every company.
- Request a disclosure directly. Follow each company’s current process. ChexSystems provides consumer disclosure information on its website, and LexisNexis accepts requests through its consumer portal. Check each other company’s current instructions rather than assuming the same request method applies everywhere.
- Check the details. Review identifying information and any account, inquiry, or event data shown in the disclosure. Keep copies of your request and the company’s response so you can refer to them if you need to challenge an entry.
- Dispute errors with both parties. CFPB guidance says consumers have a legal right to dispute information they believe is inaccurate or incomplete with both the reporting company and the company that furnished the information. See the CFPB’s guidance on disputing a credit-report error for further information.
- Consider a freeze where available. A freeze may be an option for some of these companies, but it is company-specific. Review the relevant company’s current process; a freeze with one reporting company does not automatically apply to others.
What checking these reports can and cannot tell you
A disclosure lets you see information maintained by the company that supplied it; it does not establish what every other reporting company holds. Checking these six files cannot guarantee that you have found every consumer report about you, because the CFPB directory is not a complete census. Nor does reviewing or disputing a report guarantee a particular lending outcome or credit-score change.
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