What is TBOM and why is it on my credit report?

Young couple looking at why tbom is on their credit reportImage: Young couple looking at why tbom is on their credit report

In a Nutshell

TBOM is the acronym for The Bank of Missouri. If you applied for a credit card or retail credit issued by The Bank of Missouri or were added as an authorized user to someone else’s account, this could explain why TBOM is listed on your credit reports.
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TBOM stands for The Bank of Missouri.

If you applied for a credit card or retail credit line issued by The Bank of Missouri, the TBOM credit line acronym might show up on your credit reports.

Because The Bank of Missouri commonly issues credit cards under different names, it’s not always obvious when a card is associated with that bank. So you might not recognize The Bank of Missouri name or realize it issues your card. But you can usually find out by checking your cardholder agreement or the terms and conditions of your account, or by looking at the bottom of your credit card website.



What does TBOM stand for and why is it on my credit report?

TBOM is an acronym for The Bank of Missouri.

You might notice TBOM on your credit reports if you have a credit account issued by The Bank of Missouri. The bank issues credit cards and provides credit products that retailers can offer their customers.

Because The Bank of Missouri commonly issues credit under other names, you might not realize you have a credit card or line of credit that’s issued by the bank. The bank works with credit servicing companies to issue various credit products, none of which are branded with the bank’s name. These companies include …

  • Continental Finance
  • Fortiva, which offers the Fortiva Credit Card and Fortiva Retail Credit accounts
  • Concora Credit
  • Home Credit US, LLC

But if you look closely at the terms and conditions, you might notice that the bank is listed as the issuer for the credit card or line of credit.

Here are some possible reasons TBOM may show up on your credit reports.

Hard and soft inquiries

When you apply for new credit, the financial institution usually looks into your credit history to determine whether it wants to lend to you. This can lead to a hard inquiry (also known as a hard credit pull) being placed on your credit reports. If you applied for a new line of credit recently, that could explain why TBOM is showing up on your credit reports.

If you haven’t applied for new credit, but TBOM is still showing up as a hard inquiry, this could be a sign of identity theft and indicate that someone else is applying for accounts in your name. Here’s what you can do if you spot an unauthorized credit inquiry.

If The Bank of Missouri conducted a review of your accounts through your credit reports to determine whether to send you a prequalified credit offer, this could lead to a soft inquiry showing up on your credit reports.

The difference between a hard inquiry and soft inquiry is that while the former can have a small, negative impact on your credit scores, the latter does not.

FAST FACTS

How to remove a TBOM hard inquiry

If you suspect TBOM mistakenly or fraudulently performed a hard credit pull, you have a right to dispute it with the major credit bureaus. Once you file your dispute, the bureaus are obligated to investigate and correct any information they determine is inaccurate.

Authorized users

Did you recently give a friend or family member permission to add you to their credit account as an authorized user?

As an authorized user, you’ll be allowed to use the credit card or line of credit. This essentially gives you the opportunity to “borrow” the primary accountholder’s credit while you try to build your own. Often, that friend or family member’s account is listed on the authorized user’s credit reports. This way, the authorized user can benefit if the cardholder makes on-time payments and manages their credit utilization well.

If their credit account is issued by The Bank of Missouri, that could explain why TBOM is showing up on your credit reports.

Active or closed lines of credit

It’s also possible The Bank of Missouri recently acquired your credit account from another financial services company. That could explain why TBOM started showing up on your credit reports out of nowhere.

Even though your account history won’t change, the name of the bank on your credit reports and your account number could. Learn more about  how to read your credit report.

What credit cards are issued by TBOM?

We’ve identified about a dozen credit products that are issued by, but not branded with, The Bank of Missouri. You may see the TBOM acronym on your credit reports if you have one of these products.

  • First Access Visa® Card
  • TOTAL Visa® Credit Card
  • FIT Mastercard®
  • Verve Mastercard®
  • Cerulean® Platinum Mastercard®
  • Fortiva Credit Card
  • Sprint® Credit Card
  • Milestone® Mastercard®
  • Helzberg Diamonds® Private Account

The Bank of Missouri also issues a handful of cards under its own brand.

  • Visa® Platinum Card
  • Cash Rewards American Express® Card
  • Visa® Real Rewards Card
  • Premier Rewards American Express® Card
  • Visa® College Real Rewards Card
  • Visa® Secured Card

Keep in mind that these lists aren’t exhaustive, so it’s worth doing some digging to see if TBOM issued any of your cards.


Next steps: What to do if there’s an account you don’t recognize on your credit reports

If you’re still not sure why TBOM is showing up on your credit reports, it could be an error or a sign of identity theft. We recommend you check with The Bank of Missouri and the credit bureau to see why it’s showing up on your report. And if you suspect identify theft, here’s what you can do.

Regularly checking your credit reports is a good way to spot errors or potential fraud.

If you want to take a more proactive approach, you can also freeze your credit. This prevents criminals from opening new accounts in your name, and it’s one of the strongest approaches you can take to protect yourself from identity theft.


About the author: Tim Devaney is a personal finance writer and credit card expert at Credit Karma. He’s a longtime journalist who prides himself on being a good storyteller who can explain complex information in an easily digestible wa… Read more.