But credit-reporting agencies are pushing Congress to override the state laws.

Would have required credit-reporting agencies to provide a free credit report to any resident, as often as once a year, upon request.

The machinery of the tax-collection office and the credit-reporting agency has a momentum that is very difficult to stop.

Other scores are available - all major credit-reporting agencies, for example, have concocted systems, with different point ranges.

Three of those companies are among the nation's largest credit-reporting agencies.

She knew there were three major credit-reporting agencies, and most offered a free report annually.

But credit-reporting agencies are pushing Congress to override the state laws, which could make it harder for Americans to keep their credit information under wraps.

Getting Americans to spend less and save more is not what the credit-reporting agencies are after.

But private companies like Equifax Inc., a credit-reporting agency based in Atlanta, have not been so lucky.

Ted Wemhoff, marketing manager, suspects it might have come from a credit-reporting agency.