Along with
TransUnion and
Equifax, one of the three major consumer credit bureaus in the United States. Experian was formerly the credit reporting division of
TRW and is now a subsidiary of the British business-services giant
Great Universal Stores, PLC.
Experian's consumer database contains names, Social Security Numbers, address histories and detailed credit histories for nearly every adult in the US. This annoys the tinfoil hat crowd and privacy fanatics but is arguably a necessity in today's business climate. There is some good news, though - American citizens have certain rights under the Fair Credit Reporting Act including the right to dispute any inaccurate information on your credit report and to get a free copy of your report from each of the three major credit bureaus once a year. It's a very good idea to do so - you'd be surprised at how often inaccurate information ends up on credit reports.
Web site: http://www.experian.com