Your Rights under the Fair Credit Reporting Act?

Part 10: As part of series of articles (blogs) regarding Credit and Credit Score, here we go:

What Law Credit Bureaus Work Under?
Credit bureaus are operating under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) federal law. The FCRA gives consumers the right to an accurate credit report. If you find errors in your credit report, you're allowed to dispute these errors with the credit bureaus. The credit bureau is then required to do an investigation and correct the errors when necessary.

A Summary of Your Rights under the Fair Credit Reporting Act

Source: http://www.yale.edu/hronline/careers/screening/documents/FairCreditReportingAct.pdf 

The federal Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) promotes the accuracy, fairness and privacy of information in the files of consumer reporting agencies. There are many types of consumer reporting agencies, including credit bureaus and specialty agencies (such as agencies that sell information about check writing histories, medical records, and rental history records). Here is a summary of your major rights under the FCRA.  

·         You must be told if information in your file has been used against you.

·         You have the right to know what is in your file

·         You have the right to ask for a credit score.

·         You have the right to dispute incomplete or inaccurate information

·         Consumer reporting agencies must correct or delete inaccurate, incomplete or unverifiable information

·         Consumer reporting agencies may not report outdated negative information

·         Access to your file is limited

·         You must give your consent for reports to be provided to employers

·         You may limit “prescreened” offers of credit and insurance you get based on information in your credit report

·         You may seek damages from violators

·         Identity theft victims and active duty military personnel have additional rights 

For more information, including information about additional rights, go to www.ftc.gov/credit or
see Appendix A1 “The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA)” of Credit Score Tips and Tricks book.

States may enforce the FCRA, and many states have their own consumer reporting laws. In some cases, you may have more rights under state law. For more information, contact your state or local consumer protection agency or your state Attorney General.

HOW to overcome the problems with your credit history and credit score?
Knowledge, education, awareness, practice and discipline are the essential keys to being successful on any subject. The book, "Credit Score Tips and Tricks", provides you information, tools, techniques to educate yourself and manage your credit report & credit score, and therefore manage your finances effectively at no additional cost.

I have decided to bring and share with you, chapters or sections of the book, Credit Score Tips and Tricks, as series of articles here. This is the number 10 of such a series.

I also created and manage a GROUP in ActiveRain, Credit Reports and Credit Scores, Please feel free to join and share your thoughts and experiences.

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