Get your specialty consumer reports

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

The Privacy Rights Clearinghouse has released a new educational fact sheet, "The 'Other' Consumer Reports: What You Should Know about 'Specialty' Reports." The fact sheet details which specialty reports are out there, and how you can order free copies.

The Fair Credit Reporting Act gives you the right to get free copies of your specialty consumer reports. Businesses use these reports to investigate employees and potential customers/tenants. They report on your medical conditions, insurance claims, check writing history, rental history and employment history, etc. The companies that compile these reports are consumer reporting agencies, just like the three major credit reporting bureaus, Equifax, Experian and TransUnion, and as such must give you free copies of your reports each year.

According to the Clearinghouse, these specialty firms collect information about you from a variety of sources and sell the information to businesses. The focus is not always on credit worthiness, but on other kinds of information about you that may be useful to business.

To view more of the excellent educational resources available at the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse, visit its web site at www.privacyrights.org.