Credit Report

Definition

• A report on past behaviour regarding a borrower's willingness and ability to repay debt in a timely manner. This report is provided to the bank by an outside agency.

Notes
A report that outlines the credit worthiness of an individual or entity.

Synonyms
dossier of credit history, credit summary

Acronyms
CR

Related Terms and Acronyms

• Appraisal Report — Definition,
  • A detailed evaluation of the value of a property based on an inspection and a review of the values of nearby, comparable properties.
• Approval — Definition,
  • An assessment made by a lender of a borrower's ability to pay for a home and a confirmation of the amount the borrower may obtain.
• Bad Debt — Definition,
  • Money that cannot be collected is considered bad debt. Businesses can deduct bad debts under certain circumstances. If a bad debt is personal, it can also be deducted in some instances as a short-term capital loss.
• Credit Bureau (CB) — Acronym, Very Important,
  • A company that collects and sells information about how people handle credit. It issues credit reports that list how individuals manage their debts and make payments, how much untapped credit they have available and whether they have applied for any loans. The reports are made available to individuals and to creditors who profess to have a legitimate need for the information.
  ➥ Company that determines one's credit worthiness.
• Credit Card (CC) — Acronym, Very Important,
  • A plastic card with a coded magnetic stripe that, when signed, entitles its bearer to a revolving line of credit, with a credit limit and interest rate determined by the borrower's income and credit report.
  ➥ A payment card that gives customers access to a revolving line of credit.
• Credit Rating (CR) — Acronym, Very Important,
  • A judgement of a person's ability to repay debts. The rating is often based on a person's current and projected income and past debt payment history. Also called a credit score.
  ➥ A metric to measure the credit worthiness of a debtor.
• Credit Reporting Agency (CRA) — Acronym,
  • An organization that prepares reports that are used by lenders to determine a potential borrower's credit history. The agency obtains data for these reports from a credit repository as well as from other sources.
• Credit Score — Definition,
  • Also referred to as a 'Beacon Score' is a number, between 300 and 900, that reflects a person's credit history. Lenders calculate this number using a computer system as part of the process for assigning rates and terms to the loans they grant.
• Debt — Definition,
  • Money one person or firm owes to another person or firm.
• Equifax (EF) — Company Est. 1899, Canada, Important,
  • A major credit bureau company in Canada along with Trans Union.
• Experian (XP) — Company, Canada,
  • One of the Big Three credit bureaus, along with Equifax and Trans Union, Experian not normally used in Canada.
• Gross Debt Service (GDS) — Acronym, Very Important,
  • The total monthly mortgage (or rent) payments, property taxes, utilities and maintenance fees as a percentage of gross monthly income.
  ➥ Used by mortgage lender underwriters to determine one's ability to qualify for a mortgage loan.
• Inspection Report — Definition,
  • The documentation of a thorough examination of a house's visible structural parts and systems, conducted before purchase.
• Liabilities — Definition,
  • A borrower's debts and legal obligations.
• Merged Credit Report — Definition,
  • A summary of one's credit history from the big two credit bureaus: Equifax and Trans Union.
• Pre-qualification — Definition,
  • An informal process in which a lender will offer an opinion on how much money you may be able to borrow. This opinion is based entirely on the financial information you provide and is neither binding nor necessarily accurate because lenders have not yet verified your financial information.
• Property Report — Definition,
  • A legal document prepared by a surveyor that shows the locations of all visible public and private improvements relative to property boundaries.
  • A legal disclosure that developers of timeshare properties are required to give to prospective buyers.
• Qualifying Ratios — Definition,
  • As calculated by lenders, the percentage of income that is spent on housing debt and combined household debt. The first qualifying ratio, called the gross debt service or GDS is up to and including a maximum of 32% of the combined gross family income. The second qualifying ratio is the Total debt service or TDS is up to and including 40% of gross income.
• Revolving Credit — Definition,
  • A line of credit that does not have a specified repayment schedule but may require a minimum payment to cover interest and contribute to paying off principal. Typical of credit card loans, chequing account cash reserve or overdraft accounts that have pre-approved lines of credit.
• Sub-prime Borrower — Definition,
  • A borrower with a less-than-perfect credit report due to late payments or a default on debt payments.
• Sub-prime Mortgage — Definition, Important,
  • A mortgage loan that is granted to a borrower who is considered sub-prime (has a less-than-perfect credit report). Sub-prime borrowers have either missed payments on a debt or have made late payments. Lenders charge a higher interest rate to compensate for potential losses from customers who may default on the loan.
• Total Debt Service (TDS) — Acronym, Important,
  • The ratio of a borrower's total monthly debt payments to his or her monthly gross income. Lenders use this ratio to determine how much of a loan a borrower is qualified for.
• TransUnion (TU) — Acronym,
  • One of the major Canadian credit bureau companies along with Equifax.
  ➥ See TransUnion Canada.
• Underwriting (UW) — Acronym, Important,
  • The analysis of risk involved in making a mortgage loan to determine whether the risk is acceptable to the lender. Underwriting involves evaluating the property as outlined in the appraisal report, and also evaluating the borrower's ability and willingness to repay the loan.
  • Assessing individuals for eligibility and issuing and distributing a financial product such as insurance, equity capital or credit.