You may think that your income is private information. However, the credit bureaus can have your number. And from February, its revenues estimated by the office, you can use to help determine if you get a new credit card.

Tuesday, the Federal Reserve issued final rules related to credit card last year’s law, which among other things, require credit card companies to consider the applicant’s income or assets and current debts before approving the loan. To provide flexibility, however, the Fed said that issuers can use “reasonable estimate” of income or assets based on “statistically sound models.”

Pending that decision, the three major credit bureaus have been an update or deployment of products that try to estimate the income of consumers, based on information in your credit reports such as the size and mortgages age or size of your credit limits.

Beyond Credit Scores

Regulations and standards tighter credit means the credit card companies and banks need more details on our revenues and will gather more data about you.

* New Fed rules require credit card companies to consider our income or assets and our debt outstanding on the issuance of cards.

* Credit bureaus are providing income estimates based on information in our credit records, which can be used to grant new credit or to verify what we have reported.

* Mortgage Borrowers are now asked to provide income tax records for the IRS and reported his statements to lenders.

The products also are responding to the efforts of banks to tighten credit standards in order to reduce losses and risks. “We hope to fill in the blanks where they should fill in the blanks,” says John Cullerton, vice president of product management for Equifax Inc., Atlanta-based credit bureau.

Credit card companies can double check what we have long informed ourselves against these estimates, which often does not require the consent of consumers and are not available to consumers for review.

In fact, lenders of all types are beginning to take more and more financial information about us and about us. Last summer, Fannie Mae began requiring mortgage lenders to verify borrowers’ incomes by checking income tax returns. Instead of simply providing pay stubs and bank statements and brokerage, home buyers are now asked to provide copies of their tax returns and are also required to fill out a form of Internal Revenue Service known as 4506 — T that allows the IRS to release their tax returns to lenders.

Credit scores, which have always been a key factor in determining whether you get a loan or credit card, may not be sufficient for many future credit decisions. With the new law requiring credit cards credit card issuers consider the ability of a customer to pay before the opening of new accounts, the Fed has proposed requiring people to report their own income or assets at the time to apply for credit.

But traders feared the proposed rules silencing its ability to open credit accounts instantly at the register, because buyers do not want to reveal personal information in the tent. Both retailers and credit agencies asked the Fed to enable them to use alternatives such as estimated income of the credit bureaus “in place.

Card companies are already asking more detailed information in their online applications. Capital One is to ask candidates to disclose how much you spend on mortgage payments or rent, what they have in bank accounts and how much is in their investment accounts. Bank of America and Chase will require estimates of household income.

In the past, companies relied on self-reported income information. But lenders are beginning to use revenue Experian PLC Insight product to verify what people report, said Brannan Johnston, vice president of rent and deposits for the Costa Mesa, Calif., credit bureau.

Experian came up with their estimates, matching credit reports against a deep database of wages, interest and investment income and determine what information about the number of accounts, total credit, payments and other factors that best predict income.

Mr. Johnston said that the income estimates can also be used to decide whether a credit limit increase, as information on credit card accounts may not be available or up to date. In addition, collection agencies are often interested in using the data to determine the most profitable accounts to follow.

TransUnion LLC, Chicago-based credit bureau, says most of the uses of its revenue from the updated estimates to date have been used for the marketing of pre-approved credit cards or consumer practices, although Lenders are also interested in the possibility of calculating debt income ratio to see how widespread it might be a potential borrower.

Experian estimates of income per thousand, while TransUnion offers a broad range. However, both acknowledge the estimates are just that. Experian says that over 85% of revenue is estimated at around $ 35,000 will actually be below $ 50,000, but that’s not accurate. Chet Wiermanski, global chief scientist TransUnion, said it is rare that the estimates have a margin of $ 15,000 or $ 20,000.

Because the numbers of the offices are not accurate, the companies say that their contracts prohibit lenders and credit card issuers to refuse customers based solely on the information. Estimates can, however, soon a request for further details of the borrowers, such as pay stubs or tax returns.

Equifax, through its enterprise work number, also provides employment verification and data collected by electronic means payroll of about 2,000 employers. The lenders, prospective lenders, insurers and debt collectors can access the information without obtaining the consent of a person if you are using it for purposes permitted under the credit laws.

If all this information makes you dizzy, here are some things to consider:

• Given that the income estimates are based on information in your credit report is more important than ever to ensure that the debt data in your report are correct. Check all three reports at least once a year, or verify that a single office to report every four months.

• When you apply for a credit card, loan or a mortgage, pay attention to what is permitted. In the fine print on the Bank of America and Capital One credit card applications, potential customers consent to his credit both verified and checked their jobs.

Also, if you are asked to fill out a Form 4506-T, be sure to date the form and fill in the year or years for which the lender can request back to know exactly what information is made available.

• Be aware that all information is being collected about you. Less well-known credit bureaus, as L2C Inc., to collect data on utility payments, cable and mobile phone bills, loans payday, bank accounts and more, and data can be used to provide skills Credit for people with little or no traditional credit. Ultimately, how you handle all your bills—not just your mortgage and credit card—can make a difference in your options.

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