A check of consumer credit refers to a process by which people can come and see their credit rating - from a score that held by credit bureaus who keep track of people's economic history, particularly as regards their use of credit facilities. The need to keep track of people's economic history is that most transactions in modern times based on credit - and without a system like the one managed by the credit bureaus, there would be absolutely no way of knowing who is solvent and who is not.