Credit bureaus collect and collate personal financial data on individuals and businesses from data furnishers with which the bureaus have a relationship. Data furnishers are businesses, utilities, debt collection agencies, public institutions, and the courts (i.e. public records) that a consumer or business has had a relationship or experience with. Data furnishers report the experience with the consumer or business to the credit bureaus. The data provided by the data furnishers as well as collected by the bureaus are then aggregated into the credit bureaus data repository or files. The resulting information is made available on request to contributing companies for the purposes of credit assessment and credit scoring. Given the large number of consumer borrowers, these credit scores tend to be mechanistic. In other words, the different credit bureaus collect data from a variety of sources and then apply a mathematical algorithm to assess the likelihood that an individual will repay a given debt given the frequency that other individuals in similar situations have defaulted. Most consumer welfare advocates advise individuals to review their credit reports at least once per year, in order to ensure that the reports are accurate.