Consumer Reporting Agency Security Freeze Minors

Consumer credit reporting - privacy - minors under 16 and legal wards - security freeze. Section 2 of the act authorizes a parent or legal guardian (representative) to request that a consumer reporting agency place a security freeze on the consumer report of either a minor under 16 or another person who is a ward of the representative (protected consumer). If the consumer reporting agency does not yet have a consumer report for the protected consumer when a security freeze is requested, the consumer reporting agency must, upon written request, create a consumer record for the protected consumer and place a security freeze on the consumer record.

The protected consumer's representative ask the consumer reporting agency to remove the security freeze. A protected consumer who demonstrates that his or her representative's appointment is no longer valid may have the security freeze removed.

A consumer reporting agency may not charge a fee for the placement, temporary lift, or removal of a security freeze on a protected consumer's consumer report or record or for the creation of a record for a protected consumer, nor place, temporarily lift, partially lift, or permanently remove a security freeze on a consumer report or record of a consumer who is under 18 years of age.

Section 3 requires consumer reporting agencies to inform parents or other representatives that they may request a security freeze on behalf of their child or ward.

Section 1 defines the terms "protected consumer", "record", "representative", "sufficient proof of authority", and "sufficient proof of identification", and amends the definition of "security freeze".

(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)