Fair Credit Reporting

The New Fair Credit Reporting Act: What Consumers Need to Know

Your credit report and credit score can determine whether you qualify for insurance or loans, the price you pay for credit, and can even impact your ability to get a job. Consumers in Pennsylvania now have new tools to fight identity theft and credit reporting errors under the revised Fair Credit Reporting Act. This fact sheet summarizes some of the key provisions of this new federal law.

Your Right to See a Copy of Your File:

Free Credit Reports from One Source: As of September 1 2005, consumers can get a free copy of their credit report once every 12 months from each of the three major national credit bureaus (Experian, Equifax and Trans Union) at one centralized source:

www.annualcreditreport.com
Annual Credit Report Request Service
P.O. Box 105281
Atlanta, GA 30348-5281
877-322-8228

Other Ways to Get a Free Report: You are also entitled to a free consumer report if:

• a person has taken an adverse action against you because of information in your credit report;
• you are the victim of identity theft and have placed a fraud alert on your file;
• you believe that your file contains inaccurate information as a result of fraud;
• you are on public assistance;
• you are unemployed and expect to file for employment within 60 days.

Free Reports from the Nationwide Specialty Credit Bureaus: In addition to the big three credit bureaus, several nationwide credit bureaus sell other forms of reports that include insurance, employment, check writing, medical records and rental histories. Not all consumers will need to obtain one of these reports, and many of the companies disclose that they will not have a report available unless an employer, insurer or other user previously requested one. But, if you currently have or soon will be shopping around for homeowners' or auto insurance, a new rental apartment, a checking account, or private health or life insurance, then you should order a free report.

The Federal Trade Commission has declined to publish a list of all national specialty credit bureaus, but we believe that the following companies meet the criteria. Let us know about other companies that should be added to this list:

Insurance History:
ChoicePoint CLUE Auto History: 866-312-8076
ChoicePoint CLUE Homeowners' History: 866-312-8076
ISO's A-Plus Auto and Property Databases: 1-800-627-3487

Employment History:
ChoicePoint Employment Reports: 866-312-8075
Provides reports only if it provided your report to an employer.

Residential Tenant History:
Accufax: 800-256-8898
American Tenant Screen: 800-888-1287
Choicepoint Tenant History Reports: 877-448-5732
Provides reports if it provided your report to a landlord.
UD Registry: 888-275-4837
National Tenant Network: 800-228-0989
Safe Rent: 888-333-2413
Tenant Data Services: 800-228-1837
Tenant Screening Services: 800-388-2335

Check Writing History:
ChexSystems: 800-428-9623
Certegy Check Services: 866-543-6315
International Check Services: 800-526-5380
SCAN: -800-262-7771
TeleCheck: 800-710-9898

Medical Records or Payments:
Medical Information Bureau: 866-692-6901

Stay Involved: The new federal law is a step in the right direction, but more needs to be done to protect consumers from identity theft. Visit www.copirg.org or call 303-573-7474.