Can I Add Something to My Credit That Was Not Reported?

After checking your credit reports, you might feel disappointed if you find you have no credit history or fewer accounts than you expected. This frequently happens because customers mistakenly think that any bill they pay goes in their credit history. You can add something omitted from your credit history to your file, but it might not help you obtain credit.

Identification

Technically, you can add something to your credit report that was not updated by your creditor, but only if the creditor subscribes to the credit reporting bureau and you have proof of the item. For example, if you were a customer of Bank 1 that reports to Equifax, you can furnish evidence that you have a credit card with the bank by sending in a copy of your monthly statement to Equifax, but not TransUnion unless Bank 1 also subscribes to its reporting service.

Alternative Credit

Millions of Americans have no credit history with the major credit reporting bureaus, so companies called alternative credit reporting bureaus report the accounts not normally picked up by TransUnion, Experian or Equifax. You must pay for this service and prove payment history, such as with a canceled check. The Equal Credit Opportunity Act requires banks to consider alternative credit histories in lieu of a traditional credit history, but it does not guarantee that an alternative score has to satisfy a lender's borrowing requirements.

Contacting Creditor

Adding something to your traditional credit history usually works best when you have only one or two items missing. If a creditor always fails to report your payment history to the credit bureaus, there is probably a glitch with the bureau or the creditor. Contact the creditor about the problem. There could be a larger underlying problem, such as the bureau mixing up your profile with another person's.

Considerations

If you try to add data to your report and the bureaus reject your request, you might have a creditor that does not report to them. In this case, your only option is to self-report the payment history to an alternative bureau or work with a creditor that reports your accounts to the national bureaus. You should work with at least one creditor that reports to the major agencies so you have a wider array of choices when you need to apply for credit.