Almost everyone has been the subject of a background and credit check at some point in their lives. Many employers will perform background and credit checks before hiring a person to work for them and creditors check the person's credit history before deciding whether to give that person a loan.

Because credit checks and background checks are such an important part of life today, it is important for people to know what type of information is typically searched during the background and credit check. A general background check will contain the person's name, prior addresses, and any criminal convictions that they obtained over a certain period of years. The credit check will contain the person's bill payment history, how much credit they have, and how much of that credit has been used.

Background and credit checks can only be conducted after the person that is the subject of the search has given their permission to allow the search. In many states, it is illegal to conduct a background search without the permission of the subject. This is why many employers will ask job applicants to sign a release saying that they consent to the background check.

The biggest difference between background and credit checks is the amount of information that is contained within each. A great deal of a person's financial history is not allowed to be disclosed by either a credit check or a background check.