May

Two new bills affecting credit reporting and the use of credit reports for employment purposes are working their way through Congress. If passed, the bills would amend the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA). The first, The Credit Access and Inclusion Act of 2015, H.R. 4172, would allow for increased reporting of customer payment information by companies in the Telecommunications and utility industries, with an eye toward helping low-income consumers establish positive credit. The second, the Equal Employment for All Act of 2015, H.R. 3524, would prohibit most employers from using credit reports as a factor in evaluating consumers for employment. It is important for employers to be aware of the many requirements imposed on them by the FCRA and state laws with respect to using background checks for employment purposes.

The lease on an Albany warehouse holding fingerprint records and other personal information collected from 22 million people was about to expire, and the state needed to digitize the files.

The contract for the job required that employees responsible for scanning the records pass background checks and protect the security of the documents. Focused Technologies Imaging Services was awarded the $3.45 million contract in 2008. But according to the authorities, rather than fulfill its contract, it did what so many businesses have done in recent years: outsource the work to India. For the price of $82,000, an Indian company processed millions of records and performed more than a third of the entire contract 's work � risking the privacy of some 16 million people. Focused Technologies has agreed to pay $3.1 million in penalties and fees for defrauding the state and will submit to additional oversight for the next five years.

"Home Depot Inc (HD.N) agreed to pay at least $19.5 million to compensate U.S. consumers harmed by a 2014 data breach affecting more than 50 million cardholders. The home improvement retailer will set up a $13 million fund to reimburse shoppers for out-of-pocket losses, and spend at least $6.5 million to fund 1? years of cardholder identity protection services. Home Depot also agreed to improve data security over a two-year period, and hire a chief information security officer to oversee its progress. It will separately pay legal fees and related costs for affected consumers. Home Depot did not admit wrongdoing or liability in agreeing to settle. ""We wanted to put the litigation behind us, and this was the most expeditious path,"" spokesman Stephen Holmes said. ""Customers were never responsible for any fraudulent charges."""