TRW Tests Sale of Competitors’ Reports : Credit: Program would enable consumers to purchase ratings data from all 3 major monitoring agencies.

TRW Inc. said Friday it is testing a program to sell consumers not only its own reports on their credit histories but also those of its two major competitors.

For $29, consumers participating in the test can find out how their credit is rated by TRW, Equifax Corp. and Trans Union Corp. Until now, consumers had to call each of the three separately to obtain copies of their credit histories.

TRW already offers all consumers a free credit report every year. Trans Union and Equifax charge about $15 for the service.

The new TRW service is being test-marketed to the 700,000 members of the company’s Credentials credit monitoring program. Credentials, for which consumers pay between $29 and $44 a year, informs them when credit inquiries are made about them, updates them on their credit rating and gives them unlimited free access to their own TRW credit information.

If the test is successful, the combined credit reports will be offered to the public starting next year. “We anticipate rolling it out in January,” said Gerry Keehan, marketing director for TRW’s credit bureau in Orange.

The major benefit of the combination report, Keehan said, is “if someone is making a major purchase where a credit grantor is likely to look at all three bureaus, like a car or a house.” Reviewing the data beforehand would give them a chance to clear up any errors before applying for a loan.

Mortgage bankers and major loan companies often review a consumer’s credit reports from all three major agencies before lending money.

Bob Wheeler, TRW’s vice president for consumer information services, said the combination reports, first offered in June, have been even more popular than the company had expected.

“The level of acceptance is high,” he said, and complaints are “virtually nil.”

Spokesmen for Atlanta-based Equifax and Chicago-based Trans Union said that they have no plans to offer similar combined credit reports to consumers.