Anyone that has ever taken out credit in the last 7 years will have a credit file. The credit file will report on your financial position in regards to loan applications, loans taken out, your payment history, public information on you, your personal details (not your personal life) and whether any bankruptcy or debt collection has been undertaken on you.
More companies and people who you think are accessing and using your credit file for a whole range of purposes. The obvious uses of this file are financial institutions that you have applied to for a loan. These lenders will both go through your prior credit history an also write to the credit file that you have applied for a loan. This is predominately how your credit file is created and new entries are recorded. The lender will use this information as part of their decision making process on whether they should give you a loan and at what percentage rate of interest they will charge.
Insurance companies also access your credit file as a way of predicting whether you will potentially make a claim against them. They will be looking for whether you have been with other insurance companies, how many over what period of time. If you are renting your landlord will want some assurance that you will pay your rent, so they access you file to see if you have recorded a history of late or defaulting payments.
Your potential employer will also look at similar information to see if you are reliable, keep to your commitments and are not in financial trouble that could affect them, this is particularly important during security checks. Even a potential spouse may access your file, so they can understand your financial record before they make the big commitment.
As you can see quite a wide range of people access your credit file, so keep it in good condition and keep an eye on it.
