EPIC, Coalition Call on CFPB to Move Forward in Fair Credit Reporting Act Rulemaking 

EPIC and a coalition of civil society organizations and experts sent a letter urging the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to release a proposed rule to strengthen the Fair Credit Reporting Act as soon as possible. The CFPB is poised to adopt rules that could limit the wide-ranging harms caused by data brokers, protect the privacy of “credit header” information, and improve dispute resolution systems at credit reporting agencies. The coalition encouraged the CFPB to “take the crucial step of publishing a proposed Consumer Reporting Rule that will clarify the application of FCRA to data brokers, better regulate the use of personal information in consumer reporting, and carry forward the text and Congressional purpose of FCRA into an era of rapid technological change.” 

EPIC regularly engages with the CFPB on consumer protection issues. EPIC recently filed comments in support of the CFPB’s proposals to prohibit the inclusion of medical debt on credit reports and comments on the CFPB’s proposed Section 1033 rules urging the CFPB to adopt strong rules that protect privacy and empower consumers. EPIC has frequently engaged with the CFPB on its FCRA rulemaking. In February 2023, EPIC joined a coalition of organizations to call on the CFPB to clarify that “credit header data is not exempt from Fair Credit Reporting Act rules,” filed comments in response to the CFPB’s Request for Information on how data brokers impact consumers, and filed comments on the CFPB’s outline of proposals under consideration.