Why are there 3 credit bureaus and how do they differ, if at all?

Not all lenders pull a credit report from all three credit bureaus when they are processing your credit applications - When you applied for that credit card or auto loan your lender most likely chose to pull only one of your three credit reports. This means that the "inquiry" is only going to show up on one of your three credit reports. The exception to this rule is a mortgage application. Most mortgage lenders will pull all three of your credit reports during their loan processing practices. Call 1-800-442-1591; http://www.bancoservices.org