The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) is a federal law or statute that promotes the accuracy, fairness, and privacy of information in the files of consumer reporting agencies. Consumer reporting agencies include credit bureaus (Experian, Equifax, TransUnion), and specialty agencies that sell information about consumers' check writing histories, employment histories, insurance claims, medical records or payments, and residential or tenant history.

The FCRA is located in the United States Code at 15 U.S.C. §§1681-1681u. Banks and other financial institutions are generally not considered consumer reporting agencies under the FCRA—but depending on how similar their information-sharing practices are to those of a consumer reporting agency, they can be required to comply with the FCRA.

A consumer can exercise many of the rights provided by the FCRA through the websites of the three main credit reporting agencies: https://www.experian.com/, https://www.equifax.com/personal/, and https://www.transunion.com/. The toll-free telephone numbers for the credit reporting agencies are: Experian (1-888-397-3742); Equifax (1-888-548-7878); and TransUnion (1-800-916-8800).

States may enforce the FCRA, and many states have their own consumer reporting laws. In some states, consumers may have more rights under state law. For more information, contact your state or local consumer protection agency or your State Attorney General's office.

The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) is a federal law that ensures the accuracy, fairness, and privacy of consumer information held by credit reporting agencies such as Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion. This law also applies to agencies that deal with check writing, employment, insurance, medical, and tenancy records. While banks and financial institutions are not typically classified as consumer reporting agencies, they may need to comply with the FCRA if their practices are similar to those of a reporting agency. Consumers in Minnesota can assert their rights under the FCRA by contacting the credit bureaus directly through their websites or toll-free numbers. Although the FCRA is a federal statute, states can enforce it and may have additional consumer reporting laws that provide further protections. Minnesotans can seek more information from their state or local consumer protection agency or the State Attorney General's office to understand any supplementary rights they may have under state law.