All Issues

Credit Reporting & Data Fairness

NCLC led the way when the United States passed its first data fairness law, the Fair Credit Reporting Act, in 1970 and continues to fight for fair treatment by the original traffickers of Big Data – credit bureaus (Equifax, Experian, TransUnion) – as well as tenant- and background-screening companies and new hawkers of our information. NCLC advocates for more and better protections for credit reports, and other consumer data by fighting for accuracy, fairness, privacy, and holding companies accountable when they violate the law.

Key Topics

Alternative Data & Algorithms

Working to ensure that use of alternative data and algorithms will help, not hurt, consumers.

Background Checks

Fighting inaccurate and discriminatory criminal background checks that are a bar to jobs and housing.

Consumer Protections for Renters

Protecting renters from abuses in tenant screening, rental debt collection, junk fees, and more.

Credit Repair & Credit Monitoring Products

Fighting against shady credit repair firms and pricy credit monitoring products.

Credit Reporting & Scores

Combating errors, bias, abuses, and racial inequity in the credit reporting system.

Tenant Screening

Ensuring that inaccurate and discriminatory tenant screening is not a bar to housing.

Featured

Recent Resources

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Model Family Financial Protection Act

November 20, 2023

Comments to CFPB’s Outline of Proposals for FCRA Rulemaking

November 9, 2023

FTC and CFPB Take Action Against Faulty Tenant Screening Reports

October 12, 2023

White House Takes Aim at Junk Fees in Rental Housing, Banking, and More

October 11, 2023

Letter Urging Regulators to Protect Credit Scores of Maui Wildfire and Hurricane Idalia Survivors

October 5, 2023

The New York Times: Consumer Agency Moves to Ban Medical Debt From Credit Reports

September 29, 2023

Digital Denials: How Abuse, Bias, and Lack of Transparency in Tenant Screening Harm Renters

September 26, 2023

New Report Examines How Abuse and Bias in Tenant Screening Harm Renters

September 26, 2023

Consumer Bureau Announces Groundbreaking Plan to Protect Americans from the Devastating Effects of Medical Debt

September 21, 2023

Comments & Letters

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Comments to CFPB’s Outline of Proposals for FCRA Rulemaking

November 9, 2023

Letter Urging Regulators to Protect Credit Scores of Maui Wildfire and Hurricane Idalia Survivors

October 5, 2023

NCLC Request for CFPB to Limit Arbitration of FCRA Lawsuits

July 14, 2023

NCLC Comments to FHFA Regarding Representative Credit Scores for Bi-Merge Reports and Credit Invisibles

May 12, 2023

Petition for Rulemaking at CFPB Regarding Debt Collector Furnishing, Language Access, Credit Reporting Ombudsperson Office

March 3, 2023

Coalition Letter Opposing H.R. 1165, the Data Privacy Act of 2023

February 27, 2023

Comments to the CFPB’s Outline of Proposals to Implement Section 1033, Consumer Access to Financial Records, Small Biz Review

January 25, 2023

Letter Urging Federal Regulators to Protect Credit Scores of Hurricane Fiona and Ian Survivors

October 26, 2022

Letter Asking for Rulemaking to Ban Medical Debt from Credit Reports

September 26, 2022

Reports

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Digital Denials: How Abuse, Bias, and Lack of Transparency in Tenant Screening Harm Renters

September 26, 2023

Too Damn High: How Junk Fees Add to Skyrocketing Rents

March 13, 2023

Don’t Add Further Insult to Injury: Medical Debt & Credit Reports

January 6, 2023

Mission Creep: a Primer on Use of Credit Reports & Scores for Non-Credit Purposes

August 3, 2022

Don’t Add Insult to Injury: Medical Debt & Credit Reports

November 4, 2019

Automated Injustice Redux: Ten Years After a Key Report, Consumers Are Still Frustrated Trying to Fix Credit Reporting Errors

February 1, 2019

Paper Statements: An Important Consumer Protection

March 1, 2016

Account Screening Consumer Reporting Agencies: a Banking Access Perspective

October 1, 2015

Solving the Credit Conundrum: Helping Consumers’ Credit Records Impaired by the Foreclosure Crisis and Great Recession

December 11, 2013

Issue Briefs

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Why We Need the FCEA to Keep Credit Reports Out of Hiring Decisions Now

March 15, 2023

2023 Credit & Consumer Reporting Priorities to Promote Economic Stability

January 18, 2023

2023 Consumer Protection Federal Priorities

January 13, 2023

Even the Catch-22s Come With Catch-22s: Potential Harms & Drawbacks of Rent Reporting

October 24, 2022

Credit Monitoring: A Bad Deal for Consumers

September 12, 2022

No Silver Bullet: Using Alternative Data for Financial Inclusion and Racial Justice

June 1, 2022

2022 Consumer Protection Federal Priorities

February 18, 2022

Ramirez, Faux-Federalism, and the Futility of Consumer Disclosure Protections

August 10, 2021

2021 Credit & Consumer Reporting Priorities to Promote Economic Recovery

December 1, 2020

Testimony

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Testimony on the 2023 Fair Chance in Employment Act

July 20, 2023

Testimony of Chi Chi Wu before the Massachusetts Legislature in Support of H.1429/S.894: An Act Regulating the Use of Credit Reporting in Housing

January 11, 2022

Testimony of Chi Chi Wu before Fintech Task Force of the US House Financial Services Committee on Preserving the Right of Consumers to Access Personal Financial Data

September 21, 2021

Testimony Regarding “A Biased, Broken System: Examining Proposals to Overhaul Credit Reporting to Achieve Equity”

June 29, 2021

Testimony of Chi Chi Wu before the Massachusetts Legislature in Support of H2019/S1153: the Fair Chance in Employment Act

June 29, 2021

Testimony on Consumer Credit Reporting: Assessing Accuracy and Compliance

May 26, 2021

Testimony Before House Financial Services Committee Regarding “Fair Credit Reporting Act: How It Functions for Consumers and the Economy”

June 4, 2003

Press Releases & News

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FTC and CFPB Take Action Against Faulty Tenant Screening Reports

October 12, 2023

White House Takes Aim at Junk Fees in Rental Housing, Banking, and More

October 11, 2023

The New York Times: Consumer Agency Moves to Ban Medical Debt From Credit Reports

September 29, 2023

New Report Examines How Abuse and Bias in Tenant Screening Harm Renters

September 26, 2023

Consumer Bureau Announces Groundbreaking Plan to Protect Americans from the Devastating Effects of Medical Debt

September 21, 2023

NPR: Medical debt could soon be barred from ruining your credit score

September 21, 2023

The New York Times: Beware Companies Selling Credit ‘Repair’ Services

September 15, 2023

Money: From Netflix to Rent, You Can Use Everyday Bills to Boost Your Credit Score — but There’s a Catch

August 7, 2023

Fair Chance in Employment Act Receives Public Hearing; Advocates, Lawmakers to Assert Credit Reports Don’t Predict Job Performance

July 18, 2023

Amicus Briefs

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Amicus Brief in Henderson v. the Source for Public Data

October 15, 2021

Amicus Brief: BBBB Bonding Corp. v. Caldwell

August 5, 2021

Amicus Brief in Transunion v. Ramirez in Support of the Respondent

March 15, 2021

Amicus Brief: CDIA v. Frey

January 26, 2021

Amicus Brief in Cook County v. Wolfe

January 24, 2020

Amicus Brief in State of Washington v. U.S. Department of Homeland Security

January 24, 2020

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