FCRA RESOURCES
The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), Public Law No. 91-508, was enacted in 1970 to promote accuracy, fairness, and the privacy of personal information assembled by Credit Reporting Agencies (CRAs). CRAs assemble reports on individuals for businesses, including credit card companies, banks, employers, landlords, and others. The Act’s primary protection requires that CRAs follow “reasonable procedures” to protect the confidentiality, accuracy, and relevance of credit information. The FCRA provides important protections for credit reports, consumer investigatory reports, and employment background checks. The FCRA is a complex statute that has been significantly altered since 1970 by Congress and the courts. To do so, the FCRA establishes a framework of Fair Information Practices for personal information that include rights of data quality (right to access and correct), use limitations, requirements for data destruction, data security user participation (consent), and accountability. For more detailed information, please read the Fair Credit Reporting Act or visit: www.ftc.gov