SB 5418.E - DIGEST

(DIGEST AS ENACTED)

Provides that a victim of identity theft who has submitted a valid police report to a consumer reporting agency may elect to place a security freeze on his or her report by making a request in writing by certified mail to a consumer reporting agency.

Declares that a "security freeze" means a notice placed in a consumer's credit report, at the request of the consumer and subject to certain exceptions, that prohibits the consumer reporting agency from releasing the consumer's credit report or any information from it without the express authorization of the consumer. If a security freeze is in place, information from a consumer's credit report may not be released to a third party without prior express authorization from the consumer.

Does not prevent a consumer reporting agency from advising a third party that a security freeze is in effect with respect to the consumer's credit report.

Provides that a consumer reporting agency is not required to place a security freeze in a consumer credit report under this act if it acts only as a reseller of credit information by assembling and merging information contained in the data base of another consumer reporting agency or multiple consumer reporting agencies, and does not maintain a permanent data base of credit information from which new consumer credit reports are produced. However, a consumer reporting agency must honor any security freeze placed on a consumer credit report by another consumer reporting agency.

Provides that a consumer reporting agency may furnish to a governmental agency a consumer's name, address, former address, places of employment, or former places of employment.