Compliance

Compliance

--> A Summary of Your Rights Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act

The federal Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) is designed to promote accuracy, fairness, and privacy of information in the files of every "consumer reporting agency" (CRA). Most CRAs are credit bureaus that gather and sell information about you--such as if you pay your bills on time or have filed bankruptcy--to creditors, employers, landlords, and other businesses. You can find the complete text of the FCRA, 15 U.S.C 1681-1681u, at the Federal Trade Commissions web site (http://www.ftc.gov). The FCRA gives you specific rights, as outlined below. You may have additional rights under state law. You may contact a state or local consumer protection agency or a state attorney general to learn those rights.


You must be told if information in your file has been used against you. Anyone who uses information from a CRA to take action against you--such as denying an application for credit, insurance, or employment--must tell you, and give you the name, address, and phone number of the CRA that provided the consumer report.


You can find out what is in your file. At your request, a CRA must give you the information in your file, and a list of everyone who has requested it recently. There is no charge for the report if a person has taken action against you because of information supplied by the CRA, if you request the report within 60 days of receiving notice of the action. You also are entitled to one free report every twelve months upon request if you certify that (1) you are unemployed and plan to seek employment within 60 days, (2) you are on welfare, or (3) your report is inaccurate due to fraud. Otherwise, a CRA may charge you up to eight dollars.


You can dispute inaccurate information with the CRA. If you tell a CRA that your file contains inaccurate information, the CRA must investigate the items (usually within 30 days) by presenting to its information source all relevant evidence you submit, unless your dispute is frivolous. The source must review your evidence and report its finding to the CRA. (The source also must advise national CRAs--to which it has provided the data--of any error). The CRA must give you a written report of the investigation, and a copy of your report if the investigation results in any change. If the CRAs investigation does not resolve the dispute, you may add a brief statement to your file. The CRA must normally include a summary of your statement in future reports. If an item is deleted or a dispute statement is filed, you may ask that anyone who has recently received your report be notified of the change.


Inaccurate information must be corrected or deleted. A CRA must remove or correct inaccurate or unverified information from its files, usually within 30 days after you dispute it. However, the CRA is not required to remove accurate data from your file unless it is outdated (as described below) or cannot be verified. If your dispute results in any change to your report, the CRA cannot reinsert into your file a disputed item unless the information source verifies its accuracy and completeness. In addition, the CRA must give you a written notice telling you it has reinserted the item. The notice must include the name, address and phone number of the information source.


You can dispute inaccurate items with the source of the information. If you tell anyone--such as a creditor who reports to a CRA--that you dispute and item, they may not then report the information to a CRA without including a notice of your dispute. In addition, once you've notified the source of the error in writing, it may not continue to report the information if it is, in fact, an error.


Outdated information may not be reported. In most cases, a CRA may not report negative information that is more than seven years old; ten years for bankruptcies.


Access to your file is limited. A CRA may provide information about you only to people with a need recognized by the FCRA--usually to consider an application with a creditor, insurer, employer, landlord, or other business.


Your consent is required for reports that are provided to employers, or reports that contain medical information. A CRA may not give out information about you unless your employer, or prospective employer, has your written consent. A CRA may not report medical information about you to creditors, insurers, or employers without your permission.


You may choose to exclude your name from CRA lists for unsolicited credit and insurance offers. Creditors and insurers may use file information as the basis for sending you unsolicited offers of credit or insurance. Such offers must include a toll-free phone number for you to call if you want your name and address removed from future lists. If you call, you must be kept off the lists for two years. If you request, complete, and return the CRA form provided for this purpose, you must be taken off the lists indefinitely.


You may seek damages from violators. If a CRA, a user or (in some cases) a provider of CRA data, violates the FCRA, you may sue them in state or federal court.

The FACT Act requires each of the nationwide consumer reporting agencies (Experian, Equifax and Trans Union) to provide consumers with a free copy of their credit report as often as once every twelve months. A consumer can request their credit reports in one of three ways - online, by phone or by mail.

If you would like to request a free copy of your credit report from these organizations, please contact the centralized processing center at (877) 322-8228, or visit their website at www.annualcreditreport.com

Additionally, if ABI has conducted a background check on you on behalf of one of our clients, you may request a free annual file disclosure pursuant to the Free Annual File Disclosure Rule, 16 C.F.R. Part 610, by calling (800) 235-3954 and selecting option 5, by submitting request online, or by sending a written request to ABI at 102 Main Street, Suite 303, Wadsworth, Ohio 44281. Consumers may check the status of this request by calling 1-(800) 235-3954.

ABI does not maintain a database of all consumer credit reports. Your individual report WILL NOT be available through our system unless you have applied for a position of employment with one of our clients. Also note that depending on when the report was conducted, it may not accurately reflect your current credit status. Please note that all copies of these reports will be delivered by mail only.

For more information on the FACT Act, please visit http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/edcams/credit/ycr_free_reports.htm.

Fact Act Disclosure - Frequently Asked Questions

How do I receive a free copy of my report?
In order to receive a free copy of your consumer report you must call the listed 800 number or fill out the form above. We can only provide you with a copy of your report if ABI. has conducted a background check on you on behalf of one of our clients.

How long will it take me to receive my copy?
Requests are handled on a daily basis so you should receive a copy in the mail in just a few short days.

Can you fax or email me a copy of my consumer report?
Consumer reports will ONLY be mailed.