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The Federal Reserve Board and the Federal Trade Commission have issued final rules to implement the credit score disclosure requirements of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act. If a credit score is used in setting material terms of credit or in taking adverse action, the statute requires creditors to disclose credit scores and related information to consumers in notices under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, or FCRA.

Regulation V

The final rules amend Regulation V (Fair Credit Reporting) to revise the content requirements for risk-based pricing notices, and to add related model forms that reflect the new credit score disclosure requirements. The Board is issuing these final rules jointly with the FTC.

Section 1100F of the Dodd-Frank Act amends section 615(h) of the FCRA to require that additional content be disclosed to consumers in risk-based pricing notices; specifically, if a credit score is used in making the credit decision, the creditor must disclose that score and certain information relating to the credit score. The effective date of these amendments is July 21, 2011.

Title X of the Dodd-Frank Act also establishes the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection, to which rulewriting authority for certain consumer protection laws will transfer. Section 1088(a)(9) of the Dodd-Frank Act amends section 615(h)(6) to provide that rulewriting authority for section 615(h) will transfer to the CFPB. Pursuant to section 1100H of the Dodd-Frank Act, however, this rulewriting authority does not transfer to the CFPB until July 21, 2011. Thus, rulewriting authority for the risk-based pricing provisions of the FCRA, including the amendments prescribed by section 1100F of the Dodd-Frank Act, will not be vested in the Bureau until the date that the section 1100F amendments become effective.

The Board and the FTC believe it is important to have implementing regulations and revised model forms in place as close as possible to July 21, 2011. This will help ensure that consumers receive consistent disclosures of credit scores and information relating to credit scores, and will help facilitate uniform compliance when section 1100F of the Dodd-Frank Act becomes effective.

Regulation B

The final rules also amend certain model notices in Regulation B (Equal Credit Opportunity), which combine the adverse action notice requirements for Regulation B and the FCRA, to reflect the new credit score disclosure requirements.

Section 1100F of the Dodd-Frank Act amends section 615(a) of the FCRA to require creditors to disclose on FCRA adverse action notices a credit score used in taking any adverse action and information relating to that score. The effective date of these amendments is July 21, 2011.

After considering the comments received on the Board’s proposal, the Board is issuing revised model adverse action notices substantially as proposed. As revised, the adverse action model notices in Regulation B are consistent with the requirements of section 1100F of the Dodd-Frank Act to help facilitate compliance with that provision when it becomes effective.

Check dodd-frank.com frequently for updates on the Dodd-Frank Act and other important securities law matters.

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