Employers Will Be Required to Utilize a New “A Summary of Your Rights Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act” Form
September 26, 2018
by Joseph A. Kroeger and Audrey E. Chastain
Effective September 21, 2018, employers that use nationwide credit reporting agencies for background checks will be required to use a new “A Summary of Your Rights Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act” form (“the Summary”). The Summary stems from Congress’ May 2018 passing of the Economic Growth, Regulatory Relief, and Consumer Protection Act (“the Act”), which requires nationwide consumer reporting agencies to provide national “security freezes” for consumers, free of charge. The purpose of the “security freeze” is to prevent identity theft by limiting a prospective lender’s access to a consumer’s credit report.
The Act also extends the minimum time that nationwide consumer reporting agencies are required to include an initial fraud alert (as an alternative to a security freeze and as a notice to prospective lenders that the consumer may have been the victim of identity theft) in a consumer’s credit file from 90 days to one year. Upon receiving notice of an initial fraud alert, a prospective lender is required to verify the consumer’s identity before extending new credit in the consumer’s name.
How does this affect employers? As part of the required pre-adverse action disclosures made to an employee or job applicant (and any other time that the employer may choose to provide a copy of the Summary to employees), employers are required to provide the Summary, which includes the new notification regarding the “security freeze.” A copy of the Summary can be found here. A copy of the Summary in Spanish can be found here.
©2023 Snell & Wilmer L.L.P. All rights reserved. The purpose of this publication is to provide readers with information on current topics of general interest and nothing herein shall be construed to create, offer, or memorialize the existence of an attorney-client relationship. The content should not be considered legal advice or opinion, because it may not apply to the specific facts of a particular matter. As guidance in areas is constantly changing and evolving, you should consider checking for updated guidance, or consult with legal counsel, before making any decisions.
The material in this newsletter may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the written permission of Snell & Wilmer.