Although the FCRA primarily regulates the operations of consumer credit
reporting agencies, it also affects you as a user of information. We
have provided links on our website to the Federal Trade Commission's Website,
in order for you to be able to review the FCRA, as well as the Fair and
Accurate Credit Transactions Act, and the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (click
here). If you require paper or e-mailed copies of these laws, please
contact us at 1-800-277-2733, and we will provide them to you immediately.
We suggest that you and your employees become familiar with the following
sections of the FCRA in particular:
FCRA Requirements
Federal Fair Credit Reporting Act (as amended by the Consumer Credit Reporting Reform Act of 1996)
| § 604. | Permissible Purposes of Reports |
| § 607. | Compliance Procedures |
| § 615. | Requirement on users of consumer reports |
| § 616. | Civil liability for willful noncompliance |
| § 617. | Civil liability for negligent noncompliance |
| § 619. | Obtaining information under false pretenses |
| § 621. | Administrative Enforcement |
| § 623. | Responsibilities of Furnishers of Information to Consumer Reporting Agencies |
Each of these sections is of direct consequence to users who obtain reports
on consumers.
As directed by the law, credit reports may be issued only if they are to
be used for extending credit, review or collection of an account, employment
purposes, underwriting insurance or in connection with some other legitimate
business transaction such as in investment, partnership, etc. It is imperative
that you identify each request for a report to be used for employment purposes
when such report is ordered. Additional state laws may also impact your
usage of reports for employment purposes.
We strongly endorse the letter and spirit of the Federal Fair Credit Reporting
Act. We believe that this law and similar state laws recognize and preserve
the delicate balance between the rights of the consumer and the legitimate
needs of commerce.
In addition to the Federal Fair Credit Reporting Act, other federal and
state laws addressing such topics as computer crime and unauthorized access
to protected databases have also been enacted. As a prospective user of
consumer reports, we expect that you and your staff will comply with all
relevant federal statutes and the statutes and regulations of the states
in which you operate.
We support consumer reporting legislation that will assure fair and equitable
treatment for all consumers and users of credit information, and certify
that we have read and understand the applicable statutes, and intend to
maintain full compliance with them, at all times.
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