41 NYC Council members want to end this pre-employment practice

bill to ban credit checks during pre-employment background screening, unless credit checks are required by federal or state law. Council member Brad Lander sponsored the bill — called the Stop Credit Discrimination in Employment Act — which argues that credit checks are more likely to screen out black and Hispanic applicants, even though there is…

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Study: credit score an indicator of personal health, not just financial

A new study entitled “Credit scores, cardiovascular disease risk, and human capital” was released in the December issue of Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, in which researchers studied more than 1000 people for almost 40 years to determine if heart health and personal finances could be correlated. Employers often use credit reports to…

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FICO announces new credit scoring system for medical debt

Employers may now need to take a closer look at potential employees’ credit reports, as credit-scoring company Fair Isaac Corporation (FICO) has announced plans to revise the way it reports medical debts that have been sent to collections. One third of Americans find themselves stuck with medical debts. The new system, also known as “FICO…

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Types of background checks landlords should use when renting

While it would be nice if every renter could be a model tenant, landlords have to be careful when renting homes or apartments out. It’s a fine line to walk; you want to have great tenants living in your rentals, but that requires conducting a few types of background checks. You should absolutely run the…

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New York City considering pre-employment credit check ban

once again introduced legislation that would prevent city employers from utilizing credit checks in determining whether a candidate is a good fit for a job. Jobs that require credit checks under state or federal law would, of course, be exempt from the new law, should it pass. Employers often utilize credit checks in determining whether…

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NAPBS: survey finds young adults don’t check annual credit reports

National Association of Professional Background Screeners (NAPBS), the association cited a survey conducted by the Consumer Federation of America and VantageScore Solutions that shows that millenials — those between the ages of 18 and 34 years of age — do not regularly check their own credit scores, and do not know as much about credit…

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Micro-lenders turn to social media when conducting credit checks

When you need a loan to purchase a car, house or other large investment, banks and credit unions run credit checks to learn your FICO credit score, and how risky an investment you might be. At that point, the bank or lending institution will determine whether you are worthy of receiving a loan, and at…

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Equal Employment bill fights against pre-employment credit checks

47 percent of employers request credit checks prior to hiring new employees. Nine states have already banned credit checks during pre-employment screening. The intent behind the bill is that poor applicants with credit problems may have a harder time finding employment than a similar candidate with good credit, and that sometimes the things one would…

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