At the turn of the 21st century, the leading credit bureaus in the United States (and in many European, Latin American, and Asian countries) were Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. Their sources of information included the merchants or other businesses that had granted a customer credit in the past, employment records, landlords, public records, newspapers, and direct investigation. Any individual who has applied for a credit or charge account, a personal loan, insurance, or a job most likely has a credit record on file at one or more of these credit bureaus. The credit record, which is built and amended over time, contains information about one's income, debts, and credit payment history, as well as whether one has been sued, has been arrested, or has filed for bankruptcy. This information leads to the establishment of a credit score, a numerical representation of an individual's creditworthiness.