TransUnion Responds to Congressman Gutierrez's Town Hall Comments
CHICAGO, IL--(Marketwire - August 30, 2010) - TransUnion acknowledges and understands that many Americans have experienced job loss during the recent recession. While we were not invited to participate in today's Town Hall meeting, we believe it is important to share our perspective.
TransUnion believes that employers should be permitted to have access to tools that can assist them in managing risk to their customers and other employees. Information about a prospective employee's credit history is one of those tools.
Employers know that individuals, who have been unemployed as a result of these difficult times, may have also had difficulty keeping up with their financial obligations. What employers are interested in, is whether an individual acted prudently while he or she was employed. A pre-employment report that includes a review of a consumer's credit profile is one tool to help them assess that, right alongside the personal interview, review of education history, resume, job skills, references, standardized testing and other information that is generally accepted as part of the process.
Additional Background
Federal law guarantees consumers certain rights when credit reports are used in employment situations. For instance, consumers must give their written permission before an employer can access their credit report. Employment may not be denied on the basis of bankruptcy. Additionally, consumers cannot be denied a job based on information in a credit report until they have been given a copy of their credit report and provided with their rights under federal law.
About TransUnion
As a global leader in credit and information management, TransUnion creates advantages for millions of people around the world by gathering, analyzing and delivering information. For businesses, TransUnion helps improve efficiency, manage risk, reduce costs and increase revenue by delivering comprehensive data and advanced analytics and decisioning. For consumers, TransUnion provides the tools, resources and education to help manage their credit health and achieve their financial goals. Through these and other efforts, TransUnion is working to build stronger economies worldwide. Founded in 1968 and headquartered in Chicago, TransUnion employs associates in more than 25 countries on five continents. www.transunion.com/
