FCRA - Staff Opinion Letters


Fair Credit Reporting Act - Staff Opinion Letters (1997-2001)

Section 603(b)
Definition of "person": Allison (02-23-98)

Section 603(d)(1)
Definition of "consumer report" (general): Buchman (03-02-98); Schieber (03-03-98); Goeke (06-09-98); Beaudette (06-09-98); Islinger (06-09-98); Poquette (06-09-98); Lewis (06-11-98); Halpern (06-11-98); Slyter (06-12-98); Hinkle (07-09-98 )
Haner (08-27-98); Leathers (09-09-98)
Tabler (10-27-98); Sum (09-15-99); Tatelbaum (07-26-00)

Section 603(d)(2)
Definition of "consumer report" (exclusions): Islinger (06-09-98); Hinkle (07-09-98 ); Pickett (07-10-98); Kelley (07-16-98)
Novak (09-09-98)

Section 603(e)
Definition of "investigative consumer report": Hinkle (07-09-98)
Willner (03-25-99)
Vail (04-05-99); Meisinger (08-31-99); Fischel (10-01-99)

Section 603(f)
Definition of "consumer reporting agency": Cast (10-27-97); Goeke (06-09-98); LeBlanc (06-09-98); Islinger (06-09-98); Copple (06-10-98); Slyter (06-12-98); Lee (06-26-98); Pickett (07-10-98)
Leathers (09-09-98); Throne (11-20-98)
Vail (04-05-99); Meisinger (08-31-99); Sum (09-15-99)

Section 603(g)
Definition of "file": Cohan (08-01-00)

Section 603(h)
Definition of "employment purposes": Allison (02-23-98); Greathouse (10-20-98); Solomon (10-27-98)

Section 603(k)
Definition of "adverse action": Schieber (03-03-98); Greathouse (10-20-98); Hall (10-26-98); Spritz (11-05-98)
Vail (04-05-99); Gowen (04-29-99); Ball (03-01-00); Stinneford (07-14-00); Latour (06-28-01)

Section 603(m)
Definition of "credit or insurance that is not initiated by the consumer": Gowen (04-29-99)

Section 603(o)
Definition of "consumer report" (exception for employment agencies): Basting (06-11-98); Hahn (07-08-98)

Section 603(p)
Definition of "consumer reporting agency that compiles and maintains files on consumers on a nationwide basis": Cohan (06-29-99)

Section 604(a)
Permissible purposes for which an CRA may furnish a consumer report

Section 604(a)(2)
Written authorization of consumer: Shibley (06-08-99); Landever (10-12-99); Zalenski (05-24-01)

Section 604(a)(3)(A)
Credit transaction: Coffey (02-11-98); Bauchner (08-05-98); Throne (11-20-98); Gowen (04-29-99); Benner (04-30-99); Woolford (08-06-99); Landever (10-12-99); Long (07-06-00); Tatelbaum (07-26-00); Tatelbaum2 (06-22-01)

Section 604(a)(3)(B)
Employment purposes: Ross (09-02-98); Greathouse (10-20-98)

Section 604(a)(3)(C)
Underwriting of insurance: Buchman (03-02-98); Greathouse (10-20-98); Ball (03-01-00)

Section 604(a)(3)(D)
Grant of license or benefit by governmental instrumentality: Greathouse (10-20-98)

Section 604(a)(3)(F)
Legitimate business need: Coffey (02-11-98); Buchman (03-02-98); Kaiser (07-16-98); Greenblatt (10-27-98); Gowen (04-29-99); Benner (04-30-99); Shibley (06-08-99); Long (07-06-00); Tatelbaum (07-26-00)

Section 604(a)(4-5)
Child support purposes: Baughn (04-30-99); Woolford (08-06-99)

Section 604(b)
Consumer reports for employment purposes: Allison (02-23-98); Rosen (06-09-98); Beaudette (06-09-98); Lewis (06-11-98); Hauxwell (06-12-98); Slyter (06-12-98); Pickett (07-10-98)

Section 604(b)(1)
User certification requirements; CRA obligation to provide summary of rights: Hahn (12-23-97); Kilgo (07-28-98)

Section 604(b)(2)
Pre-report disclosure to consumer by employer; authorization by consumer: Steer (10-21-97); Solganik (10-23-97); Hawkey (12-18-97); Coffey (02-11-98); Brisch (06-11-98); Hauxwell (06-12-98); Slyter (06-12-98); Kilgo (07-28-98); James (08-05-98); Leathers (09-09-98)
Willner (03-25-99); Fischel (10-01-99)

Section 604(b)(3)
Employer pre-adverse action report
copy and summary of rights to consumer: Weisberg (06-27-97); Solganik (10-23-97); Hawkey (12-18-97); Coffey (02-11-98); Rosen (06-09-98); Brisch (06-11-98); Lewis (06-11-98); Hahn (07-08-98); Hinkle (07-09-98)
Leathers (09-09-98); Solomon (10-27-98)
Willner (03-25-99)
Vail (04-05-99); Meisinger (08-31-99)

Section 604(c)(1)(A)
Reports for non-consumer-initiated credit or insurance transactions: Buchman (03-02-98)

Section 605
Information contained in consumer reports

Section 605(a)(1)
Time limits: Bankruptcies: Anonymous (11-05-99)

Section 605(a)(4): Section 605(c)
Time limits: Charge-off and collection accounts: Johnson (08-31-98); Kosmerl (06-04-99); Amason (02-15-00)

Section 605(a)(5)
Time limits: Reporting adverse information (general): Seham (04-17-98)
Goeke (06-09-98); Nadell (12-10-98); Rosen (06-04-99); Sum (09-15-99); Holland (12-16-99)

Section 605(a)(5)(repealed 11-02-98)
Time Limits: Records of arrest, indictment, or conviction: Rosen (06-09-98); Halpern (06-11-98)

Section 605(b)
Time Limits: Exempted cases: Sum (09-15-99)

Section 606
Investigative consumer report disclosures: Allison (02-23-98); Beaudette (06-09-98); Pickett (07-10-98)

Section 606(a)
Disclosure of preparation of investigative consumer report: Hawkey (12-18-97); Brisch (06-11-98)
Hauxwell (06-12-98); Willner (03-25-99)

Section 606(b)
Disclosure of nature and scope of report: Brisch (06-11-98)
Hauxwell (06-12-98); Willner (03-25-99)

Section 607(a)
Reasonable procedures to comply with §§ 604 and 605: LeBlanc (06-09-98); Landever (10-12-99)
Section 607(b)
Reasonable procedures to assure maximum possible accuracy: Lovern (04-24-98); LeBlanc (06-09-98); Harris (03-22-99); McCorkell (06-03-99); Watkins (06-24-99)

Section 607(d)
Notice to users and furnishers: LeBlanc (06-09-98)

Section 607(e)
Procurement of reports for resale: Goeke (06-09-98); LeBlanc (06-09-98); Rosen (06-09-98); Beaudette (06-09-98); Benner (04-30-99)

Section 609
Disclosures to consumers: Beaudette (06-09-98); Lee (06-26-98); Cohan (08-01-00)

Section 609(a)(1)
Information to be disclosed: Hahn (07-08-98); Darcy (06-30-00)

Section 609(a)(3)
Identification of recipients: LeBlanc (06-09-98); Rosen (06-09-98); Benner (04-30-99); Cohan (08-01-00)

Section 609(c)
Summary of rights to be included with disclosure: LeBlanc (06-09-98); Cohan (06-29-99)

Section 610
Conditions and form of disclosure to consumers: Beaudette (06-09-98)

Section 611(a)
Investigation of consumer disputes by CRAs: Tabler (10-27-98); Cohan (08-01-00)

Section 611(c)
Notice of dispute in subsequent reports: Edwards (07-15-98)

Section 612
Charges for disclosures: Lee (06-26-98); Cohan (08-01-00)

Section 613
Public record information for employment purposes: Slyter (06-12-98); Allan (05-05-99); Holland (12-16-99)

Section 615(a)
Required notice of adverse action based on a consumer report: Weisberg (06-27-97); Solganik (10-23-97); Cast (10-27-97); Hawkey (12-18-97); Allison (02-23-98); Schieber (03-03-98); Pickett (07-10-98); Everson (07-28-98); Hall (10-26-98); Sheffield (11-10-98); Cohan (06-29-99); Allan (02-14-00); Ball (03-01-00); Stinneford (07-14-00); Latour (06-28-01)

Section 615(b)
Required notice of adverse action based on information from a third party: Riddle (03-17-99)

Section 616-617
Civil liability: Greenblatt (10-27-98); Long (07-06-00)

Section 618
Statute of limitations: Kilgo (07-28-98)

Section 621
Administrative enforcement: Greenblatt (10-27-98)

Section 623(a)(1)
Duty of furnishers to provide accurate information: Jaffe (07-17-98); Watkins (06-24-99); Boynton (02-15-00)

Section 623(a)(2)
Duty of furnishers to correct and update information: Harris (03-22-99); Boynton (02-15-00)

Section 623(a)(3)
Duty of furnishers to provide notice of dispute: Harvey (12-23-97)

Section 623(a)(5)
Duty of furnishers to provide date of delinquency on charge-off, collection or similar accounts: Harvey (12-23-97); Gillespie (03-10-98); Johnson (08-31-98); Kosmerl (06-04-99); Amason (02-15-00)

Section 623(b)
Duty of furnishers to investigate consumer disputes: Tabler (10-27-98); Cohan (08-01-00)

Section 623(c)
Liability of furnishers: Watkins (06-24-99)

Last Updated: Tuesday, April 09, 2002