Until recently, mortgage lenders could access the lien and judgment history of potential borrowers through a borrower’s credit report. The national credit reporting agencies (NCRAs), TransUnion, Equifax, and Experian, did such a poor job of keeping reliable records on liens and judgments—Social Security numbers were missing from roughly 50% of tax lien records and 96% of civil judgment records—that they’re no longer allowed to provide these services. Mortgage lenders must now obtain information on liens and judgments through more circuitous means, such as title searches.