Financial Privacy, Consumer Prosperity, and the Public Good

Download or read book Financial Privacy, Consumer Prosperity, and the Public Good written by Fred H. Cate and published by Rowman & Littlefield. This book was released on 2003-07-22 with total page 71 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: American consumers have become accustomed to obtaining instant credit. The process requires that credit bureaus have easy access to sensitive financial information about individuals, compiled largely without their consent. This report examines the debate surrounding the role of the states in regulating these credit bureaus, especially in light of expiring amendments to the Fair Credit Reporting Act, which have allowed bureaus to continue these practices, exempting them from state laws that might obstruct them. How this controversy is resolved will have an important bearing on credit markets and financial privacy in the future. The authors make the case for continued federal preemption of the states in this area. Without it, the authors argue, the consumer credit system has developed in the United States would be put in jeopardy.