Bulletin 2021-03: Consumer Reporting of Rental Information, 35595-35599 [2021-14459]

Agencies

• BUREAU OF CONSUMER FINANCIAL PROTECTION

[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 127 (Wednesday, July 7, 2021)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 35595-35599]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-14459]



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Rules and Regulations
                                                Federal Register
________________________________________________________________________

This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER contains regulatory documents 
having general applicability and legal effect, most of which are keyed 
to and codified in the Code of Federal Regulations, which is published 
under 50 titles pursuant to 44 U.S.C. 1510.

The Code of Federal Regulations is sold by the Superintendent of Documents. 

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Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 127 / Wednesday, July 7, 2021 / Rules 
and Regulations

[[Page 35595]]



BUREAU OF CONSUMER FINANCIAL PROTECTION

12 CFR Part 1022


Bulletin 2021-03: Consumer Reporting of Rental Information

AGENCY: Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection.

ACTION: Enforcement compliance bulletin and policy guidance.

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SUMMARY: The Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection (Bureau) is 
issuing this Enforcement compliance bulletin and policy guidance 
(Bulletin) regarding consumer reporting of rental information in light 
of upcoming heightened risks to renters associated with inaccurate 
consumer reporting information. As pandemic-related government 
interventions aimed at protecting renters begin to expire over the 
coming months, the Bureau will be paying particular attention to 
consumer reporting agencies' (CRAs') and furnishers' compliance with 
their accuracy and dispute obligations under the Fair Credit Reporting 
Act (FCRA) and Regulation V with respect to rental information. The 
Bureau will hold CRAs and furnishers accountable for failing to comply 
with the FCRA and Regulation V. The economic recovery of renters and 
their ability to secure new rental housing should not be impeded by 
noncompliance with the law.

DATES: This bulletin is applicable on July 7, 2021.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Susan Stocks, Assistant Deputy 
Enforcement Director for Policy and Strategy, Office of Enforcement; 
Amanda Quester, Pavneet Singh, Laura Stack, or Priscilla Walton-Fein, 
Senior Counsels, Office of Regulations, at 202-435-7700. If you require 
this document in an alternative electronic format, please contact 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Background

    Rental information in consumer reports plays a critical role in 
consumers' access to rental housing, credit, and other 
opportunities.\1\ As the eviction moratoria and other government 
interventions aimed at alleviating the economic and public health 
impacts of the 2019 novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic begin to 
expire, the Bureau anticipates that many renters will face eviction 
from their homes, rental arrearages, and collection attempts to recover 
unpaid rent.\2\ Consumers have complained to the Bureau about the 
financial impacts of the pandemic on their ability to stay current on 
rental payments and about negative rental information related to the 
pandemic in consumer reports.\3\ An increase in negative rental 
information in the consumer reporting system, combined with an increase 
in the number of consumers seeking rental housing, may create new risks 
that inaccurate negative rental information will be included in tenant-
screening reports and that such inaccuracies will affect increased 
numbers of consumers. Inaccurate rental information in tenant-screening 
reports can have devastating impacts on consumers, including impairing 
the ability of renters negatively impacted by the pandemic to secure 
new rental housing and otherwise recover from the pandemic's economic 
effects. An increase in housing instability caused by inaccurate rental 
information could undermine the nation's efforts to recover from the 
pandemic.
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    \1\ The term ``rental information'' in this Bulletin is used to 
refer to consumer reporting information about a rental relationship, 
including eviction information and information about unpaid rent. 
Other types of information, including criminal background 
information and credit information, have important impacts on the 
ability of renters to secure housing and access other opportunities, 
but are not the focus of this Bulletin. Rental information is 
included in consumer reports issued by tenant-screening companies 
and other CRAs. Sources of rental information include public records 
and information provided by furnishers, including debt collectors 
and landlords. Consumer reports issued by tenant-screening companies 
may include automated scores or recommendations provided to users as 
well as rental payment, eviction, and other information.
    \2\ See generally Eviction Lab, Princeton Univ., https://evictionlab.org/eviction-tracking/ (last visited June 21, 2021).
    \3\ Bureau of Consumer Fin. Prot., Complaint Bulletin: COVID-19 
issues described in consumer complaints (July 2021), https://files.consumerfinance.gov/f/documents/cfpb_covid-19-issues-described-consumer-complaints_complaint-bulletin_2021-07.pdf (CFPB 
Complaint Bulletin).
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    On January 31, 2020, the Department of Health and Human Services 
declared a public health emergency for the entire United States to aid 
the nation's healthcare community in responding to the COVID-19 
pandemic.\4\ On March 13, 2020, then-President Trump declared a 
national emergency concerning the COVID-19 pandemic, citing the strain 
on the healthcare system and the need for additional measures to 
contain and combat the spread of COVID-19.\5\ Income shocks resulting 
from the pandemic, such as a job loss, reduced work hours, or the death 
or illness of a family member, contributed to an increase in housing 
and financial insecurity for many households.\6\ The financial impact 
of the pandemic was especially pronounced for renters.\7\ Survey data 
indicate that about half of all renters saw their incomes fall during 
the pandemic due to lost employment or reductions in hours worked.\8\ 
In August 2020, some estimates projected that up to 30 to 40 million 
individuals in 13 to 17 million renter households were at risk of 
eviction over the course of the

[[Page 35596]]

pandemic.\9\ In comparison, approximately 900,000 renter households are 
evicted in a typical year.\10\
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    \4\ Press Release, U.S. Dep't of Health & Human Servs., 
Secretary Azar Declares Public Health Emergency for United States 
for 2019 Novel Coronavirus (Jan. 31, 2020), https://www.hhs.gov/about/news/2020/01/31/secretary4azar-declares-public-health-emergency-us-2019-novel-coronavirus.html. By the end of August 2020, 
there were over 5,500,000 COVID-19 cases identified in the United 
States and over 174,000 deaths related to the disease. See 85 FR 
55292, 55292 (Sept. 4, 2020). As of June 27, 2021, the Centers for 
Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates a total of 601,221 
deaths related to COVID-19 in the United States. Ctrs. for Disease 
Control & Prevention, United States COVID-19 Cases, Deaths, and 
Laboratory Testing (NAATs) by State, Territory, and Jurisdiction, 
https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#cases_totaldeaths (last 
visited June 27, 2021).
    \5\ 85 FR 15337 (Mar. 18, 2020). The national emergency was 
continued on February 24, 2021. 86 FR 11599 (Feb. 26, 2021).
    \6\ See Bureau of Consumer Fin. Prot., Housing Insecurity and 
the COVID-19 Pandemic, at 5 (Mar. 1, 2021), https://files.consumerfinance.gov/f/documents/cfpb_Housing_insecurity_and_the_COVID-19_pandemic.pdf (CFPB Housing 
Insecurity Report).
    \7\ See id. at 6.
    \8\ See, e.g., Joint Ctr. for Hous. Studies, Harvard Univ., 
Renters' Responses to Financial Stress During the Pandemic 1, 14-15, 
19-20 (Apr. 2021), https://www.jchs.harvard.edu/sites/default/files/research/files/harvard_jchs_renter_responses_covid_airgood-obrycki_etal_2021.pdf.
    \9\ CFPB Housing Insecurity Report, supra note 6, at 15 (citing 
Aspen Inst., The COVID-19 Eviction Crisis: An Estimated 30-40 
Million People in America Are at Risk (Aug. 7, 2020), https://www.aspeninstitute.org/blog-posts/the-covid-19-eviction-crisis-an-estimated-30-40-million-people-in-america-are-at-risk/).
    \10\ Id. (citing Eviction Lab, Princeton Univ., https://evictionlab.org/national-estimates/ (May 11, 2018)).
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    On September 4, 2020, the Centers for Disease Control and 
Prevention (CDC) published an agency order entitled ``Temporary Halt in 
Residential Evictions To Prevent the Further Spread of COVID-19'' (CDC 
Order).\11\ Citing the historic threat to public health posed by the 
COVID-19 pandemic, the CDC Order established an eviction moratorium 
that generally limits the circumstances in which certain persons may be 
evicted from residential property.\12\ The CDC Order initially was set 
to expire on December 31, 2020.\13\ The CDC Order has been extended 
four times and currently is set to expire on July 31, 2021.\14\
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    \11\ 85 FR 55292 (Sept. 4, 2020).
    \12\ See id.; see also 42 U.S.C. 264 and its implementing 
regulation 42 CFR 70.2.
    \13\ 85 FR 55292, 55297 (Sept. 4, 2020).
    \14\ Section 502 of title V, Division N of the Consolidated 
Appropriations Act, 2021, Public Law 116-260, 134 Stat. 1182, 2078 
(2020), extended the original CDC Order until January 31, 2021. On 
January 29, 2021, following an assessment of the ongoing pandemic, 
the CDC Director renewed the CDC Order until March 31, 2021. 86 FR 
8020 (Feb. 3, 2021). On March 29, 2021, the CDC Director extended 
the CDC Order until June 30, 2021. 86 FR 16731 (Mar. 31, 2021). On 
June 24, 2021, the CDC Director extended the CDC Order until July 
31, 2021. 86 FR 34010 (June 28, 2021).
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    In addition to the CDC's eviction moratorium, Federal, State, and 
local governments have taken a variety of other actions to alleviate 
the rental housing-related impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, including 
establishing other eviction moratoria and rental assistance programs. 
For instance, section 4024 of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic 
Security Act (CARES Act) \15\ provided a temporary moratorium on 
eviction filings \16\ as well as other protections for tenants in 
certain rental properties with Federal assistance or federally related 
financing.\17\ In addition, as discussed in more detail below, the 
Federal Emergency Rental Assistance (ERA) programs established by the 
U.S. Department of the Treasury (Treasury) have made billions of 
dollars available to eligible households by funding rental assistance 
programs administered by State and local governments.\18\ State and 
local governments have also implemented temporary eviction moratoria, 
rent freezes, and additional rental assistance programs.\19\
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    \15\ CARES Act section 4024, Public Law 116-136, 134 Stat. 281, 
492 (2020).
    \16\ The temporary eviction moratorium under the CARES Act 
expired in July 2020. Id.
    \17\ These protections included a prohibition on charging fees, 
penalties, or other charges to the tenant related to the nonpayment 
of rent while the temporary moratorium was in place. CARES Act 
section 4024(b)(2), 134 Stat. 494.
    \18\ See infra note 31.
    \19\ See, e.g., Eviction Lab, COVID-19 HOUSING POLICY SCORECARD, 
https://evictionlab.org/covid-policy-scorecard/ (last visited June 
17, 2021); Perkins Coie LLP, COVID-19 Related Eviction and 
Foreclosure Orders/Guidance 50-State Tracker (June 17, 2021), 
https://www.perkinscoie.com/en/news-insights/covid-19-related-eviction-and-foreclosure-ordersguidance-50-state-tracker.html.
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    These governmental actions have reduced evictions so far.\20\ 
However, the Bureau is aware of concerns that some landlords may have 
evicted tenants in violation of applicable eviction moratoria and that 
other tenants may have preemptively moved out of rental housing to 
avoid an eviction filing or been subject to other types of informal 
evictions outside the judicial eviction process.\21\ The Bureau's 
analysis of recent consumer complaints indicates that renters have 
expressed concerns about debt collection activities following 
evictions, including attempts to collect questionable charges and 
fees.\22\ These reports and complaints are an area of concern for the 
Bureau, and Bureau staff will be monitoring and investigating eviction 
practices to ensure that they are complying with the law. Evicting 
tenants in violation of the CDC Order, State, or local moratoria, or 
evicting or threatening to evict them without apprising them of their 
legal rights under such moratoria, may violate prohibitions against 
deceptive and unfair practices under the Fair Debt Collection Practices 
Act and the Federal Trade Commission Act.\23\
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    \20\ CFPB Housing Insecurity Report, supra note 6, at 3.
    \21\ See, e.g., 86 FR 21163, 21166-67 (Apr. 22, 2021); see also 
Ashley Balcerzak, NJ renters still being locked out by landlords 
despite COVID eviction freeze (Mar. 11, 2021), https://www.northjersey.com/story/news/2021/03/11/njrental-assistance-covid-eviction-freeze-ignoredsome-landlords/6892203002/; Annie Nova, The 
CDC banned evictions. Tens of thousands have still occurred, CNBC 
(Jan. 14, 2021), https://www.cnbc.com/2020/12/05/why-home-evictions-are-still-happeningdespite-cdc-ban.html; Jeff Ernsthausen et al., 
Despite Federal Ban, Landlords Are Still Moving to Evict People 
During the Pandemic, ProPublica (Apr. 16, 2020), https://www.propublica.org/article/despite-federal-ban-landlords-are-still-moving-to-evict-people-during-the-pandemic.
    \22\ CFPB Complaint Bulletin, supra note 3.
    \23\ 86 FR 21163, 21163-64 (Apr. 22, 2021); see also, e.g., 
Press Release, Bureau of Consumer Fin. Prot., CFPB Acting Director 
Uejio & FTC Acting Chairwoman Slaughter Issue Joint Statement on 
Preventing Illegal Evictions (Mar. 29, 2021), https://www.consumerfinance.gov/about-us/newsroom/cfpb-acting-director-uejio-and-ftc-acting-chairwoman-slaughter-issue-joint-statement-on-preventing-illegal-evictions/.
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    Moreover, as the CDC Order and other measures begin to expire, many 
households will face difficulties navigating significant rental payment 
arrearages.\24\ Low-income and minority renters have been 
disproportionately affected by the economic effects of the COVID-19 
pandemic, including job losses.\25\ Although economic conditions have 
improved in recent months,\26\ 13 percent of adult renters were behind 
on rent in May 2021.\27\ Renters in low-income households were more 
likely to report they were behind on rental payments than those in 
higher-income households. As of May 2021, more than one in six renters 
with household incomes under $25,000 reported that they were behind on 
their rent.\28\ An estimated 19 percent of renters with children report 
being not caught up on rent, compared to 10 percent not living with 
anyone under 18.\29\ Minority renters were more likely to report that 
their household was not caught up on rent: 21 percent of Black renters, 
17 percent of Hispanic renters, and 17 percent of Asian renters said 
they were not caught up on rent, compared to 9 percent of white 
renters.\30\ Accordingly,

[[Page 35597]]

low-income and minority renters are more likely to be affected by the 
expiration of the CDC's eviction moratorium and other temporary 
measures aimed at reducing evictions and supporting renters unable to 
make their rental payments.
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    \24\ See generally Eviction Lab, Princeton Univ., https://evictionlab.org/eviction-tracking/ (last visited June 21, 2021). For 
many households, a return to pre-pandemic levels of income may allow 
them to make rental payments going forward, but may not permit them 
to pay back rent owed. According to one report, almost half of all 
renter households were rental cost-burdened at the time the pandemic 
hit, based on 2018 numbers. See Emily Benfer et al., The COVID-19 
Eviction Crisis: An Estimated 30-40 Million People in America Are at 
Risk, Aspen Inst. (Aug. 7, 2020), https://www.aspeninstitute.org/blog-posts/the-covid-19-eviction-crisis-an-estimated-30-40-million-people-in-america-are-at-risk/ (citing https://www.jchs.harvard.edu/sites/default/files/Harvard_JCHS_Americas_Rental_Housing_2020.pdf). 
Rental cost burden is defined as households that pay over 30 percent 
of their income towards rent. Id. Also in 2018, 10.9 million renter 
households (25 percent of all renter households) were spending over 
50 percent of their income on rent each month. Id.
    \25\ See CFPB Housing Insecurity Report, supra note 6, at 8, 18; 
see also Pew Research Ctr., Economic Fallout From COVID-19 Continues 
To Hit Lower-Income Americans the Hardest (Sept. 24, 2020), https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2020/09/24/economic-fallout-from-covid-19-continues-to-hit-lower-income-americans-the-hardest/.
    \26\ See, e.g., Press Release, Board of Governors of the Fed. 
Reserve Sys., Federal Reserve Issues FOMC Statement (June 16, 2021), 
https://www.federalreserve.gov/newsevents/pressreleases/monetary20210616a.htm.
    \27\ CFPB analysis of U.S. Census Bureau, Census Household Pulse 
Survey, Week 30 (May 12-May 24, 2021), https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/demo/tables/hhp/2021/wk30/housing1b_week30.xlsx.
    \28\ Id.
    \29\ Id.
    \30\ Id.
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    The Federal ERA programs were established to address the concerns 
about rental arrearages.\31\ ERA funds may be used to provide 
assistance to eligible households and their landlords to pay rent, 
utilities, and certain other housing costs, including arrearages for 
rent and utility payments.\32\ Grantees of ERA funds have been working 
to ramp up their deployment of funds.\33\ As the CDC has noted, though 
there are indications that emergency rental assistance has started to 
reach increasing numbers of households over recent months, there are 
likely hundreds of thousands of applications for assistance that 
currently remain outstanding as programs accelerate their activity.\34\ 
The Bureau is concerned that renters may be evicted for nonpayment of 
rent even as they are attempting to access these funds. The Bureau 
encourages landlords and renters to consider their options under these 
programs. In addition to the extensive information about rental 
assistance programs under the ERA available on Treasury's website,\35\ 
information about rental assistance programs under the ERA is also 
available on the Bureau's website.\36\
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    \31\ Eligible grantees of ERA funds include States (including 
the District of Columbia), U.S. territories, local governments with 
more than 200,000 residents, the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands, 
and Indian tribes or the tribally designated housing entity of an 
Indian tribe, as applicable. See U.S. Dep't of the Treasury, 
Emergency Rental Assistance Program, https://home.treasury.gov/policy-issues/coronavirus/assistance-for-state-local-and-tribal-governments/emergency-rental-assistance-program (last visited June 
25, 2021). Treasury has established two separate ERA programs: ERA1, 
which provides up to $25 billion in rental assistance under the 
Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021, Public Law 116-260, 134 Stat. 
1182 (2020), and ERA2, which provides up to $21.55 billion in rental 
assistance under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, Public Law 
117-2, 135 Stat. 4 (2021). Id. At the same time that funds were 
allocated for rental assistance under ERA2, the Federal government 
also implemented additional guidance to increase access to funds by 
renters most in need of assistance to avoid evictions. For example, 
Treasury guidance now makes clear that emergency rental assistance 
provided under ERA2 must be offered directly to renters when 
landlords do not accept payment. The new guidance also allows rental 
assistance programs under ERA2 to offer assistance directly to 
renters before reaching out to landlords. See U.S. Dep't of the 
Treasury, Emergency Rental Assistance Fact Sheet (May 7, 2021), 
https://home.treasury.gov/system/files/136/FACT_SHEET-Emergency-Rental-Assistance-Program_May2021.pdf. The Treasury guidance was 
updated again on June 24, 2021 to further support the deployment of 
ERA funds. See U.S. Dep't of the Treasury, Emergency Rental 
Assistance Fact Sheet (June 24, 2021), https://home.treasury.gov/system/files/136/Treasury_Fact_Sheet_6-24-21.pdf. Treasury has 
published frequently asked questions (FAQs) related to the ERA 
programs, which are available at: https://home.treasury.gov/system/files/136/ERA_FAQs_6-24-21.pdf.
    \32\ See U.S. Dep't of the Treasury, Emergency Rental Assistance 
Program, https://home.treasury.gov/policy-issues/coronavirus/assistance-for-state-local-and-tribal-governments/emergency-rental-assistance-program (last visited June 25, 2021).
    \33\ See U.S. Dep't of the Treasury, Emergency Rental Assistance 
Fact Sheet (June 24, 2021), https://home.treasury.gov/system/files/136/Treasury_Fact_Sheet_6-24-21.pdf.
    \34\ 86 FR 34010, 34013 (June 28, 2021).
    \35\ U.S. Dep't of the Treasury, Emergency Rental Assistance 
Program, https://home.treasury.gov/policy-issues/coronavirus/assistance-for-state-local-and-tribal-governments/emergency-rental-assistance-program (last visited June 28, 2021).
    \36\ See Bureau of Consumer Fin. Prot., Federal Help With Paying 
Your Rent, https://www.consumerfinance.gov/coronavirus/mortgage-and-housing-assistance/renter-protections/emergency-rental-assistance-for-renters/ (last visited June 25, 2021).
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    The Bureau anticipates that many tenants who face eviction or have 
experienced economic shocks during the pandemic will seek alternative 
housing in the rental market. In addition to current renters seeking 
new housing, the Bureau also anticipates a likely rise in consumers who 
are currently homeowners seeking rental housing as pandemic-related 
mortgage forbearance programs and foreclosure moratoria come to an 
end.\37\
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    \37\ Under the CARES Act, if a homeowner attests to a hardship 
related directly or indirectly to the COVID-19 pandemic, homeowners 
with mortgages backed by the government-sponsored enterprises (GSEs) 
and federally backed mortgages have the right to request and obtain 
a forbearance for up to 180 days, and an extension for another 180 
days. CARES Act section 4022(b), 134 Stat. 490. Guidance from the 
GSEs and Federal agencies allow up to 18 months of forbearance. Many 
servicers and investors of privately owned mortgages not covered by 
the CARES Act offer similar protections. Further, the CARES Act and 
guidance from the GSEs and Federal agencies have prohibited lenders 
and servicers of GSE and federally backed loans from beginning 
foreclosures through July 2021. When forbearance periods and the 
foreclosure moratoria end, some homeowners who are significantly 
behind on their mortgage payments may have limited options to avoid 
foreclosure if they do not reach agreement with their servicers on a 
workout option. See CFPB Housing Insecurity Report, supra note 6, at 
11-13. To the extent these homeowners enter foreclosure and lose 
their homes, many are likely to seek housing options in the rental 
market.
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    The Bureau is concerned that information concerning evictions and 
rental payment arrearages related to the pandemic's effects may not be 
a reliable predictor of a consumer's future performance given the 
extent of the economic dislocation caused by the pandemic. The use of 
pre-pandemic relationships and scoring models on pandemic data may lead 
to unreliable conclusions regarding a consumer's future performance and 
may hinder public policy efforts to protect consumers during the 
pandemic and promote an equitable recovery from the pandemic. Some 
States and local governments have taken steps to prevent the reporting 
or use of information related to evictions and rental arrearages 
arising during the pandemic.\38\ For example, some States have taken or 
are considering taking steps to make it easier to seal or expunge 
eviction records.\39\
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    \38\ See, e.g., 2021 Or. Laws Ch. 39 (S.B. 282) (preventing 
landlords from reporting to a CRA nonpayment of rent, charges, and 
fees accrued on or after April 1, 2020, and before July 1, 2021, and 
from considering, when evaluating a rental applicant, an action to 
recover possession if entered on claims that arose on or after April 
1, 2020, and before March 1, 2022, or an applicant's unpaid rent, 
including rent reflected in judgments or referrals of debt to a 
collection agency, that accrued on or after April 1, 2020, and 
before March 1, 2022).
    \39\ See, e.g., 735 Ill. Comp. Stat. 5/9-122 (providing that the 
court file shall be sealed upon the commencement of any residential 
eviction action during the period beginning March 9, 2020, and 
ending March 31, 2022).
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    In the upcoming transition period during which the Bureau 
anticipates both an increase in negative rental information in the 
consumer reporting system and an increase in consumers seeking rental 
housing, the Bureau is concerned that existing problems with the 
accuracy of tenant-screening and other consumer reports will be 
exacerbated. According to a 2019 report by the National Consumer Law 
Center (NCLC), the vast majority of landlords use tenant-screening 
reports to screen rental-housing applicants.\40\ These reports, which 
are obtained from one of the nation's many tenant-screening 
companies,\41\ may include traditional credit report data, criminal 
background history, and rental information. Inaccuracies in negative 
rental information included in consumer reports can have significant 
damaging consequences for tenants' future access to rental housing, 
credit, and other opportunities. For example, an applicant whose 
tenant-screening report shows past litigation or a poor rental payment 
history may find it difficult or more expensive to rent property, and 
many landlords will not rent to an applicant if their screening report 
shows

[[Page 35598]]

an eviction filing.\42\ Concerns about lack of access to rental housing 
are further heightened during the continuing pandemic. For example, a 
basis for the CDC's eviction moratorium is the concern that individuals 
moving into close quarters in congregate or shared living settings, 
such as homeless shelters, puts individuals at higher risk of 
contracting COVID-19.\43\ CRAs and debt collectors and landlords that 
furnish information for inclusion in consumer reports have important 
obligations under the FCRA and Regulation V relating to the accuracy of 
information included in consumer reports,\44\ and the Bureau urges CRAs 
and furnishers to ensure they are complying with these obligations.
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    \40\ The NCLC report states that 90 percent of landlords run 
background checks on prospective tenants. Nat'l Consumer Law Ctr., 
Broken Records Redux: How Errors by Criminal Background Check 
Companies Continue to Harm Consumers Seeking Jobs and Housing 3 
(Dec. 2019), https://www.nclc.org/images/pdf/criminal-justice/report-broken-records-redux.pdf.
    \41\ See, e.g., Tex Pasley et al., Shriver Ctr. on Poverty Law, 
Screened Out: How Tenant Screening Reports Undermine Fair Housing 
Laws and Deprive Tenants of Equal Access to Housing in Illinois 
(Jan. 2021), https://www.povertylaw.org/report/tenant-screening-report/.
    \42\ See, e.g., CFPB Complaint Bulletin, supra note 3 (noting 
that, in their complaints to the Bureau, consumers have expressed 
concerns that an eviction would have detrimental effects on their 
ability to secure future housing and have reported facing 
homelessness because an eviction had negatively affected their 
credit, making it more difficult to secure housing); Kaveh Waddell, 
How Tenant Screening Reports Make It Hard for People to Bounce Back 
from Tough Times, Consumer Reports (Mar. 11, 2021), https://www.consumerreports.org/algorithmic-bias/tenant-screening-reports-make-it-hard-to-bounce-back-from-tough-times/.
    \43\ 86 FR 16731, 16733-34 (Mar. 31, 2021). See also 86 FR 
34010, 34013 (June 28, 2021) (noting that ``[e]victed renters must 
move, which leads to multiple outcomes that increase the risk of 
COVID-19 spread'').
    \44\ See, e.g., 15 U.S.C. 1681e(b), 1681i, 1681s-2; 12 CFR pt. 
1022.
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    Concerns about the accuracy of information included in consumer 
reports are long-standing,\45\ and the Bureau is especially concerned 
about the effects of these accuracy problems in light of the economic 
and public health impacts of COVID-19. The Bureau has received consumer 
complaints alleging that inaccuracies in tenant-screening reports have 
caused landlords to deny some consumers rental housing and charge 
others higher security deposits than they would have otherwise.\46\ The 
Bureau is particularly concerned that the procedures that some tenant-
screening companies use to match public records and other rental 
information to specific consumers may create a high risk that 
inaccurate data will be included in tenant-screening reports,\47\ a 
risk that may be further heightened by increased volumes of negative 
rental information resulting from the pandemic. The risk of mismatching 
may be greater among Hispanic, Black, and Asian individuals because 
there is less surname diversity than among the white population.\48\
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    \45\ See, e.g., Fed. Trade Comm'n, Report to Congress Under 
Section 319 of the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act of 2003 
(Dec. 2012), https://www.ftc.gov/sites/default/files/documents/reports/section-319-fair-and-accurate-credit-transactions-act-2003-fifth-interim-federal-trade-commission/130211factareport.pdf 
(finding that one in five consumers had an error on at least one of 
their three nationwide credit reports). More recently, the Bureau 
and the Federal Trade Commission hosted a full-day public workshop 
to discuss issues affecting the accuracy of both traditional credit 
reports and employment and tenant background screening reports. Fed. 
Trade Comm'n, Accuracy in Consumer Reporting Workshop (Dec. 10, 
2019), https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/events-calendar/accuracy-consumer-reporting-workshop.
    \46\ See, e.g., CFPB Complaint Bulletin, supra note 3.
    \47\ See, e.g., Lauren Kirchner & Matthew Goldstein, How 
Automated Background Checks Freeze Out Renters, N.Y. Times (May 28, 
2020), https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/28/business/renters-background-checks.html; Complaint, United States v. Appfolio, Inc., 
No. 1:20-cv-03563 (D.D.C. Dec. 8, 2020), https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/documents/cases/ecf_1_-_us_v_appfolio_complaint.pdf (alleging 
failure to follow reasonable procedures relating to the use of 
identifiers to match criminal and eviction records to consumers for 
purposes of preparing tenant-screening reports); Complaint, FTC v. 
RealPage, Inc., No. 3:18-cv-02737-N (N.D. Tex. Oct. 16, 2018), 
https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/documents/cases/152_3059_realpage_inc_complaint_10-16-18.pdf (alleging failure to 
follow reasonable procedures relating to the matching criteria used 
to match criminal records to consumers for purposes of preparing 
tenant-screening reports).
    \48\ Joshua Comenetz, U.S. Census Bureau, Hispanic Surnames Rise 
in Popularity (Aug. 9, 2017), https://www.census.gov/library/stories/2017/08/what-is-in-a-name.html (``Twenty-six surnames cover 
a quarter of the Hispanic population and 16 percent of Hispanic 
people reported one of the top 10 Hispanic names. The pattern is 
similar for Asians and blacks.'').
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    In addition, the Bureau is concerned that tenant-screening 
companies may report information, such as information about an eviction 
filing, in a consumer report without having reasonable procedures to 
report information about the disposition of the eviction filing or to 
prevent the inclusion of multiple entries for the same eviction action 
in the same consumer report.\49\ The Bureau is also concerned that 
tenant-screening companies may lack reasonable procedures to exclude 
from consumer reports eviction information that has been sealed or 
expunged.\50\
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    \49\ See, e.g., Complaint, United States v. Appfolio, Inc., 
supra note 47 (alleging failure to follow reasonable procedures to 
assure that the eviction and criminal record information included in 
tenant-screening reports accurately reflected the disposition, 
offense name, and offense type and to prevent the inclusion of 
multiple entries for the same criminal or eviction action in the 
same report).
    \50\ See, e.g., Consent Order, In re Gen. Info. Servs., Inc., 
2015-CFPB-0028 (Oct. 29, 2015), https://files.consumerfinance.gov/f/201510_cfpb_consent-order_general-information-service-inc.pdf 
(alleging that an employment background screening company violated 
FCRA section 607(b) by, among other things, failing to use 
reasonable procedures to prevent the inclusion of expunged criminal 
records in consumer reports).
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    CRAs frequently include rental information, such as eviction 
records, that comes from public records; landlords and debt collectors 
also furnish information about rental housing payments and debts to 
CRAs. The FCRA and Regulation V set forth important requirements for 
furnishers concerning both the accuracy of information furnished and 
the handling of consumer disputes related to the accuracy of 
information included in consumer reports.\51\ The Bureau is concerned 
that existing accuracy problems related to the furnishing of rental 
information may be exacerbated by the anticipated increase in the 
amount of negative rental information furnished.
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    \51\ See, e.g., 15 U.S.C. 1681s-2; 12 CFR 1022.40-.43.
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    For example, furnishers may fail to account for COVID-19-related 
aid or protections when reporting overdue rent amounts. In addition to 
providing a temporary moratorium on eviction filings for tenants in 
certain rental properties with Federal assistance or federally related 
financing, the CARES Act prohibited landlords of these rental 
properties from charging fees, penalties, or other charges related to 
the nonpayment of rent during the Act's eviction moratorium.\52\ State 
and local laws may also in some cases prohibit landlords from charging 
certain late fees or penalties to renters. The Bureau is concerned that 
furnishers may include prohibited penalties or fees when reporting 
rental arrearages. In addition, under many rental assistance programs, 
funds to make rental payments may be provided to landlords to pay the 
rent of specific tenants who are eligible for the program. If 
furnishers providing rental information do not appropriately account 
for funds received pursuant to these programs and fail to offset 
overdue rent amounts, this could lead to inaccuracies in consumer 
reports.
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    \52\ CARES Act section 4024, 134 Stat. 492-94.
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    Finally, the dispute-resolution obligations the FCRA and Regulation 
V impose on CRAs and furnishers are also critical to ensuring that 
consumer reports are accurate. CRAs and furnishers must conduct 
reasonable and timely investigations of consumer disputes to verify the 
accuracy of the information furnished.\53\ An increase in the amount of 
negative rental information in public records and furnished to CRAs is 
likely to lead to a corresponding increase in dispute volumes. A 
reasonable and timely investigation of a consumer dispute is critical 
to mitigating the harmful impact that inaccurate negative information 
in a consumer report may have on the

[[Page 35599]]

consumer. Moreover, proper handling of disputes not only ensures that 
inaccuracies in the disputing consumer's report are resolved, it also 
facilitates CRA and furnisher identification of systemic problems 
related to their consumer reporting and furnishing practices.\54\
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    \53\ 15 U.S.C. 1681i, 1681s-2; 12 CFR 1022.43.
    \54\ See, e.g., Fed. Trade Comm'n, 40 Years of Experience with 
the Fair Credit Reporting Act: An FTC Staff Report with Summary of 
Interpretations 67 (July 2011), https://www.ftc.gov/sites/default/files/documents/reports/40-years-experience-fair-credit-reporting-act-ftc-staff-report-summary-interpretations/110720fcrareport.pdf 
(noting that ``when a CRA learns or should reasonably be aware of 
errors in its reports that may indicate systematic problems (by 
virtue of information from consumers, report users, from periodic 
review of its reporting system, or otherwise), it must review its 
procedures for assuring accuracy and take any necessary steps to 
avoid future problems'').
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II. Compliance Guidance

    As pandemic-related government interventions aimed at protecting 
renters begin to expire, the Bureau will continue to look carefully at 
consumer reporting agencies' and furnishers' compliance with their FCRA 
accuracy obligations with respect to rental information. CRAs and 
furnishers should take immediate steps to ensure they are fulfilling 
their obligations under the law. If the Bureau determines that a CRA or 
furnisher has engaged in any acts or practices that violate the FCRA, 
Regulation V, or other Federal consumer financial laws, the Bureau will 
take appropriate enforcement action to address violations and seek all 
appropriate corrective measures, including remediation of harm to 
consumers.
    The Bureau plans to pay particular attention to the areas outlined 
below.

For CRAs Reporting Rental Information

    1. Whether CRAs are reporting accurate rental information.
    2. Whether CRAs are using a sufficient number of identifiers to 
match consumer report information to the consumer who is the subject of 
the report, including whether CRAs are using name-matching procedures 
or limited identifiers likely to heighten the risk of inaccurate 
matching.
    3. Whether CRAs are reporting eviction information that is 
inaccurate, incomplete, or misleading (such as may result from a 
failure to have reasonable procedures to report information about the 
disposition of an eviction filing, to prevent the inclusion of multiple 
entries for the same eviction action in the same consumer report, or to 
prevent the inclusion of eviction information that has been sealed or 
expunged).
    4. Whether CRAs are complying with their obligations to investigate 
disputed information in a consumer report, including whether they are 
conducting timely and reasonable investigations.

For Furnishers Providing Rental Information

    1. Whether furnishers are providing accurate rental information to 
CRAs.
    2. Whether furnishers are providing information about rental 
arrearages that include amounts that were already paid on behalf of a 
tenant through a government grant or relief program, such as the 
Emergency Rental Assistance programs.
    3. Whether furnishers are providing information about rental 
arrearages that include fees or penalties that CARES Act section 
4024(b) or other laws prohibit charging.
    4. Whether furnishers are complying with their obligations to 
investigate disputed information in a consumer report, including 
whether they are conducting timely and reasonable investigations.

III. Conclusion

    The Bureau issues this Bulletin to highlight that the Bureau will 
hold CRAs and furnishers accountable if they do not comply with their 
accuracy and dispute obligations under the FCRA and Regulation V with 
respect to rental information.

IV. Regulatory Requirements

    This Bulletin constitutes a general statement of policy exempt from 
the notice and comment rulemaking requirements of the Administrative 
Procedure Act.\55\ It summarizes existing legal requirements and 
articulates considerations relevant to the Bureau's exercise of its 
enforcement discretion for institutions under its jurisdiction. It does 
not impose any legal requirements on external parties, nor does it 
create or confer any substantive rights on external parties that could 
be enforceable in any administrative or civil proceeding. Because no 
notice of proposed rulemaking is required in issuing this Bulletin, the 
Regulatory Flexibility Act also does not require an initial or final 
regulatory flexibility analysis.\56\ The Bureau has also determined 
that the issuance of this Bulletin does not impose any new or revise 
any existing recordkeeping, reporting, or disclosure requirements on 
covered entities or members of the public that would be collections of 
information requiring approval by the Office of Management and Budget 
under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.\57\
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    \55\ 5 U.S.C. 553(b).
    \56\ 5 U.S.C. 603(a), 604(a).
    \57\ 44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.

    Dated: July 1, 2021.
David Uejio,
Acting Director, Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection.
[FR Doc. 2021-14459 Filed 7-6-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4810-AM-P