Background and credit checks  

This law imposes several conditions on users (screening agencies) who pull consumer reports for employment purposes. One rule stipulates that users will not use a consumer report in violation of any applicable federal or state equal employment opportunity law or regulation. Before screening agencies can run background and credit checks, the prospective employee must provide a separate written document disclosing that a consumer report may be obtained for employment purposes. Written authorization from the consumer for pulling the credit report is also required. The FCRA maintains that the consumer reporting agency must provide a copy of Consumer Rights to any agency pulling a credit report for employment purposes.

When it comes to background and credit checks, one's consumer rights needs to be taken strongly into consideration. Background checks must follow the equal employment opportunity laws by not displaying applicants year of birth and spouse reference. Under these laws, account number information, which is irrelevant to hiring decisions, will also not be displayed.

Certain information will remain on one's credit file for seven years from the date of the last activity or the date the document was filed with the courts. Some of these items include: closed or paid accounts; accounts sent to collection or charged to profit and loss; legal records such as judgments and tax liens; and Bankruptcy Chapter 13. Speaking to a specialist about background checks that won't infringe on an individual's consumer rights is always recommended.
 

Criminal history records describe an arrest and all subsequent actions concerning each criminal event that are positively identifiable to an individual.

Accurate, timely and complete criminal history records -