CONSUMER ALERT! e-MAIL MISINFORMATION As you may know, there is an email containing misinformation circulating the country concerning credit information and opt-out privileges. The email states that as of July 1, the four major credit bureaus including Equifax, Experian, Trans Union and Innovus will be able to release your credit information -- mailing addresses, phone numbers, and other information to anyone who requests it. This is totally false. Credit information is available ONLY to legitimate businesses that have a permissible purpose for obtaining it under the provisions of the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act. Those purposes are financial transactions, initiated by you, the consumer, for reasons of credit, insurance or employment. There has been no change to this law. A recent law passed requiring financial institutions to give their customers the opportunity to opt-out of information-sharing with other financial institutions as of July 1. It appears as though the email has confused this law with the opt-out information line. The two functions are not the same. This opt-out information line represents only the four credit bureaus mentioned, not the financial institutions governed by the new law. SOURCE: http://www.equifax.com/personal_solutions/consumer_alert.html