In the business world anyone who purchases products and then personally uses them is considered a consumer. Thus a consumer credit report details an individual's purchasing habits and how well they met their financial obligations. A copy of a person's consumer credit report can only be ordered by the person identified as the subject.

The consumer credit report has most of the same information in it, as is listed in a regular credit report. It contains all the information that might be used by a lending institution to determine if it is going to loan money to a borrower. Basically, the consumer credit report contains all the pertinent details on a person's credit card and loan accounts and their payment history as well as any public records such as bankruptcies, judgments and tax liens.

Initiated Inquiries

There is some information contained in the consumer credit report that is not visible on a regular credit report. Both the consumer credit report and regular credit report list inquiries that were made into the individual's credit history. However there is a distinction made between those inquiries that were initiated by the consumer and those that were randomly made by creditors wishing to extend unsolicited credit offers to the individual.

If a consumer applies for credit or a loan they are basically giving the creditor permission to look into their credit history. In addition to showing up on the consumer credit report, this self-initiated type of inquiry will show up on the regular credit report that all potential lenders will see. Too many inquiries of this type can decrease a consumer's credit score and thus prevent the person from being approved for a line of credit or from getting a prime interest rate.

To determine if a person meets a preset criteria for extending offers of credit, a lender may access an individual's credit history without the consumer's expressed permission. These inquiries are only visible on the consumer credit report. Thus, they do not count against the consumer's credit score.