Who can see my credit report?

The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) states that your credit report can be viewed only by people with whom you have initiated business, i.e., lenders, credit card companies, landlords and each of these must have a "permissible reason" before they can access your report.

Telemarketers can also get a name and address listing from credit bureaus but they do not actually see the reports. You can now "opt-out" of this type of mailing list sales by writing any of the three major lending firms.

It is most easily accomplished by accessing one of the three CRAs and clicking on their "opt out" link. You have the option of opting out for five years or for life. Have your name address and social security card number ready.