Chances are, your credit report has been pulled many a times. Perhaps by a creditor, perhaps by a  bank, perhaps by yourself. In fact, there are many people who have access to your credit report. Some of these people are obvious - such as mortgage companies - and some aren’t quite as apparent. The following is a list of people who can easily access your credit report:

Your Employer: Employers can use your credit report to either conduct background checks when you are applying for a job or to promote or re-assign you when you already have a job. However, your employer, or potential employer, can’t view your report without your written permission. Though they have access to these reports, most employers don’t concern themselves with your financial problems.

The Government: When you apply for public assistance, a government agency may pull up your credit report to see if you are eligible. This is done to make sure you don’t have other income or other assets you are not declaring.

Creditors Providing Judgment: When you have defaulted on an account or a loan, a creditor can look at your credit report to decide if they can start collecting from you, or at least start trying to.

Mortgage Lenders and Creditors: Whenever you apply for any kind of loan, your credit report will be looked at with a fine toothed comb. They want to make sure you have credit, before they put their money on the line for you. This is true whether you are buying a car, buying a home, or just applying for a credit card.

Insurance Companies: Though you might not realize it, insurance companies use your credit to determine the price of your policy. Some insurance companies believe that people with poor credit are more likely to file insurance claims. Though insurance companies can see your credit report, they can’t see any reports that contain medical information without your permission.

Student Loans: Typically, student loan lenders won’t deny you because of bad credit, but on occasion, they might. If you are in default of a different student loan, for instance, you might be rejected for a second one.

Utility Companies: Utility companies can request your credit report, but strict rules apply to this. Generally, you can only be denied utility service if your bad credit is a result of not paying that specific utility company. Even under those circumstances, utility companies are usually required to offer you service through a payment plan. Basically, even with poor credit, basic needs, such as heat, water, and electricity, should still be granted.

Though these places can request a copy of your credit report, there are many places that cannot. For instance, divorce, child custody, and immigration proceedings can’t bring up or involve your credit report.

Your credit report is a valuable tool. Many lenders use it to grant you loans and lines of credit. However necessary, credit reports do contain important, and personal, information. For this reason, it’s important to know who - and who does not - have access to them.