Why Are There 3 Different Credit Bureaus?

Essentially there are three bureaus because each one would historically serve a geographic area. The bureaus have since purchased other, smaller credit reporting agencies until they became nationwide companies. You can think of the same analogy for grocery store chains.

Which credit bureau is most accurate?

While there's no exact answer to which credit score matters most, lenders have a clear favorite: FICO® Scores are used in over 90% of lending decisions.

Should I have an account with all three credit bureaus?

Creditors may check only one report—or all three

This means you have a better chance of a creditor pulling the two reports you don't check than the one you do. Put simply, maintaining all three of your credit reports is the only way to ensure that the credit information used by future lenders is accurate.