Note from the PRIVACY Forum Moderator:

The following information has been provided to the PRIVACY Forum by the
Privacy Rights Clearinghouse (PRC).  In some cases, the items have been
reformatted locally for online presentation.  Index descriptions for
FTP/listserv/gopher access have been chosen locally.  Other than such
formatting and index descriptions, all information below in this file is the
responsibility of the PRC, and any questions regarding that information
should be directed to the PRC at:

Phone:  619-298-3396 (800-773-7748 Calif. only)
Fax:    619-260-4753
E-mail: prc@teetot.acusd.edu..

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Privacy Rights Clearinghouse
Fact Sheet #6


                How Private Is My Credit Report?


Credit  reports  are a gold mine of information about  consumers.
They  contain Social Security numbers, addresses, credit  payment
status,  employment, even legal information. To address  concerns
about  who  has access to this potentially sensitive information,
California has passed a new law which enhances consumers' privacy
rights. The credit bureaus have also adopted voluntary guidelines
to improve consumer services.

What is in my credit report?

Your credit report is actually a credit history. It is created by
reports from many different sources. Firms which have granted you
credit  make  regular reports about your accounts to  the  credit
bureaus.   If  you  are  late  in  making  payments,   utilities,
hospitals, landlords and others to whom you owe money may  report
this information to the credit bureaus. Your bank may also inform
the credit bureaus if you overdraw your account.

In  addition, your credit report contains your name and any  name
variations,  your address, Social Security number and  employment
information.  Your  legal record may also  be  included  in  your
credit report, including marriage, divorce, liens, bankruptcy and
other matters of public record.

Is there anything that cannot be in my credit report?

Certain  pieces of personal information cannot be in your  credit
report:

     o    Medical information (unless you give your consent).
     o    Adverse information, including bankruptcy, that is more
than 10 years old.
     o    Debts that are more than seven years old.
     o    If  the  report has been requested by a prospective  or
          current  employer, information about  age  and  marital
          status cannot be included.

Who has access to my report?

Anyone with a "legitimate business need" can gain access to  your
credit history, including:

     o    Those considering granting you credit.
     o    Landlords.
     o    Insurance companies.
     o    Employers and potential employers.

Some  companies  known as "super bureaus" buy credit  reports  in
bulk and then re-sell them. Super bureaus are regulated by credit
reporting  laws  and  must  tell the credit  bureau  who  is  the
ultimate  recipient of the file. This is to make sure the  report
is used for permissible purposes.

Your  credit  report is also used for marketing purposes.  Credit
bureaus  frequently  release information from  individual  credit
files  to  companies that offer "pre-approved"  credit  cards  or
other  lines  of  credit.  They also  sell  lists  of  names  and
addresses   to   direct  marketers.  (See  the   Privacy   Rights
Clearinghouse free fact sheet "Junk Mail: How Did They All Get My
Address?")

Federal  and  state  laws provide consumers  with  these  privacy
rights:

     o    A  new  California  law  (July  1993)  requires  credit
          bureaus  to  allow  you  to "opt out"  of  pre-approved
          credit  and other marketing offers. The credit  bureaus
          must provide a toll-free number you can call to ask  to
          be  removed  from these lists. You may also notify  the
          credit  bureaus in writing. To have your  name  removed
          from  lists  sold  to  credit grantors  and  marketers,
          contact  the three major credit reporting companies  as
          follows:
          o    TRW            Telephone: (800) 527-3933
               Mail  Preference  Service,  901  N.  International
               Parkway, No. 191, Richardson TX 75081.
          o    Equifax Options     Telephone: (800) 219-1251
               Marketing  Decision  Systems,  P.O.  Box   740123,
               Atlanta GA 30374-0123.
          o    TransUnion          Telephone: (800) 851-2674
               555 West Adams St., 8th Floor, Chicago IL 60661.

     o    If  your credit report is used for employment purposes,
          you must be notified in writing and offered a free copy
          of your report.

     o    You  have the right to know who has inquired about your
          credit file or requested your report over the last  six
          months.  The  names  of inquirers are  listed  on  your
          credit report.

How can I find out what is in my credit report?

At  your request, credit bureaus must provide you with a copy  of
your  own  credit report. You can obtain a copy  of  your  credit
report by contacting each of the three major credit bureaus: TRW,
Equifax and TransUnion.

TRW  will give you one free copy of your credit report per  year.
There  may  be  a fee for ordering your report from  Equifax  and
TransUnion. However, California law requires the charge to be  no
more than $8. If you have been denied credit based on information
in  your report, the credit bureau must provide you with  a  free
copy upon request.

To find out how to obtain a copy of your report call:  o  TRW
(800) 392-1122
                                        o  Equifax        (800)
685-1111
                                        o  TransUnion  (800)
851-2674

After  the  credit bureau receives your request, it must  mail  a
copy of your report to you within five working days.

How will I know if there is negative information in my report?

In the past if your credit report contained negative information,
you  probably would not find out about it until you  were  turned
down  for  credit or ordered a copy of your report.  Now,  a  new
state  law  requires  that  creditors  tell  you  before  putting
negative  information  into  your  file.  After  you  have   been
notified,  however,  the creditor may report additional  negative
information  about  that transaction or line  of  credit  without
giving you any further warning.

If you disagree with a creditor's report of negative information,
the creditor must put a notice of that dispute in your file.

What can I do if there are errors in my report?

Credit bureaus are regulated under the California Consumer Credit
Reporting Agencies Act and the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act.
These  laws  specify  that  you  have  a  right  to  have  errors
corrected.  Credit reports list an address and/or a phone  number
to request an investigation of inaccurate information.

Once you have notified a credit bureau of your dispute, it has 30
days  to  investigate. The bureau must consider all the  relevant
evidence  you give it, and errors must be corrected. If  you  ask
the  credit bureau to do so, it must send a corrected  report  to
anyone who has requested your file in the past six months and  to
anyone who has requested it in the last two years in relation  to
employment.

If   you   disagree  with  the  result  of  the  credit  bureau's
investigation,   you  have  the  right  to  submit   a   100-word
explanation  of the discrepancy. The credit bureau  must  include
that information in your file.

Some  consumers  who  have  had errors  in  their  credit  report
corrected find the incorrect information reappears in their files
at  a  later  date. California law now requires  credit  granting
companies and credit bureaus to establish a system to handle this
problem.  However,  even if you have had errors  in  your  report
corrected, it is wise to periodically check your credit report to
make sure the errors do not reappear.

Can  I  have negative information deleted if the entry is not  an
error?

Negative information in your credit report usually can be removed
only  by maintaining a good credit record over a number of years.
Companies or individuals promising quick fixes are almost  always
fraudulent.

For  help  with re-establishing good credit, the Consumer  Credit
Counseling  Service  may be able to assist  you.  This  nonprofit
group has offices in most cities. To find the office nearest you,
call (800) 388-2227.

Beware of other credit repair services. Generally they promise  a
lot, charge a lot and deliver very little.
What   is  the  difference  between  a  credit  report   and   an
investigative consumer report?

Some  credit  bureaus  and "super bureaus" provide  investigative
consumer  reports  which  are  much  more  detailed  than  credit
reports. Among those using these reports are insurance companies,
employers  and  landlords.  Investigative  reports  can   contain
information    on    your    character,   reputation,    personal
characteristics and life style. This information may be  gathered
through  personal interviews with neighbors, friends,  associates
or acquaintances, as well as a search of public documents such as
property and court records.

Because  the information in these reports is so detailed and  may
be  sensitive, both federal and state law require the person  who
orders  the  investigative report to inform the  subject  of  the
report.  However, there are times when an employer does not  have
to  tell an employee he or she is the subject of an investigative
report.  This includes when the report is to be used to  consider
promoting  or  firing an employee or when an  employee  is  being
investigated for possible criminal activities.

You  have  the  same rights to correct and dispute  incorrect  or
incomplete information in an investigative report as you have  in
a credit report.

For more information

For  in-depth  information  on credit and  banking,  contact  the
organizations   listed   below.  They  have   developed   several
informative brochures on these topics.

     o    Bankcard Holders of America, 560 Herndon Parkway, Suite
          120, Herndon, VA 22070. (703) 481-1110.

     o    Consumer Action, 116 New Montgomery St., Suite 223, San
          Francisco,  CA 94105. Complaint Referral Hotline  (415)
          777-9635. (TDD/voice (415) 777-9456).

     o    Federal  Trade Commission, Public Reference, Washington
          D.C. 20580 (request the FTC's publications order form).

For  assistance  in  re-establishing  good  credit,  contact  the
Consumer Credit Counseling Service at (800) 388-2227.

California  Civil  Code section 1785 contains the  state  law  on
consumer  credit  reporting agencies. Federal  law  15  USC  1681
contains the Fair Credit Reporting Act.

For  more information on credit and other privacy-related issues,
contact  the  Privacy  Rights  Clearinghouse  hotline  at   (800)
773-7748.

                                             Issued November 1992
                                             Revised June 1993

Hotline: (800) 773-7748