How Long Does It Take for a TransUnion Credit Report to Update?

Article Contributed by RentSpree (www.RentSpree.com)

Disclaimer: This article is not legal advice. Any legal information is not the same as legal advice, where an attorney applies the law to your specific circumstances, so you should consult an attorney if you would like advice on your interpretation of this information or its accuracy. You may not rely on this article as legal advice, nor as an endorsement of any particular legal understanding.

TransUnion is one of the three major, national credit reporting agencies. This agency creates one of the credit reports that lenders, renters, and home buyers rely on to provide a report of good credit and help them obtain a loan or property. Most people who have good credit spend little time thinking about their credit report unless one day something bad happens.  A negative mark on one’s credit can have significant financial impacts, which is why many people ask: “how long does it take for my TransUnion credit report to update?” This question actually requires a rather detailed answer, as this is typically asking both how often the agency updates, and how long a negative remark will stay on a report before it is removed.

Who is TransUnion? 

TransUnion is the parent holding company created by the Union Tank Car Company, a railcar leasing operation, in 1968.  In 1969, the company made the jump to credit reporting with the purchase of the Credit Bureau of Cook County (CBCC). As the company grew it headlined record-keeping progress in the move away from paper-and-file storage using emerging technologies.  The company expanded a significant jump to consumer credit with the 2002 acquisition of Truecredit.com. Continued acquisition of credit companies as well as a commitment to technology growth has helped position TransUnion as one of the primary credit reporting agencies in the United States.

How Often Does TransUnion Update Consumer Credit Reports? 

 TransUnion will typically update their consumer credit reports when they receive new information from a credit reporting agency.  Most agencies will send new data every month or at least every 45 days. So, from the TransUnion standpoint, credit reports are typically updating as soon as information arrives.  The confusing part is that different information is sent on different days and frequencies by the reporting agencies. Due to this inconsistent send, it may be possible to see multiple credit report updates within a single week, or no updates for some weeks at a time depending on the depth and complexity of one’s credit.  Credit scores are typically updated in sequence as a credit report updates.

How Long Will a Negative Mark Stay on a TransUnion Credit Report? 

Negative marks on a credit report will update at the same speed as regular or positive credit marks. How long these marks stay on the report depends on the type of negative claim. In general, expect to see a negative remark for 7 years before it will update and disappear.  Negative remarks, also called derogatory remarks, can include late payments, account charge-offs, repossessions, collections, student loan delinquency or default, bankruptcy, or foreclosure.  In the case of a Chapter 7 bankruptcy, this remark will stay on a credit report for 10 years.

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