160 Million “We’re So Sorry’s” and One Big Opportunity

“We’re so sorry, Uncle Albert

We’re so sorry if we caused you any pain

We’re so sorry, Uncle Albert

But there’s no one left at home

And I believe I’m gonna rain”

Can you say “We’re so sorry” 160 times? And do it again a million times over?

That’s exactly what one credit bureau promised last week.

In the largest class action settlement in US history, credit reporting giant TransUnion agreed to a preliminary settlement in Chicago federal court Wednesday that would provide 160 million Americans free access to their credit scores and six months of credit monitoring with no strings attached.

“This is astonishing,” said Ken McEldowney, executive director of Consumer Action, a national advocacy group based in San Francisco. “It’s everything we tell consumers that they need to find out if they have problems with their credit. They are getting information on how to improve it and information about whether they are creditworthy,” said McEldowney.

The settlement entitles consumers to six months of a TransUnion monitoring service—the one I use myself—that allows them access to information in their credit reports as well as their current scores at any time.

And for those of us who love being lazy, it even notifies subscribers by email of significant changes to their files, including reports of late payments or accounts opened in their names. TransUnion normally sells the service for $59.75 or more—meaning the settlement is worth as much as $10 billion.

How did borrowers get so lucky? Plaintiffs in the case alleged that anyone who had a credit file maintained by TransUnion (nearly half the U.S. population) were inundated with junk mail from marketers who bought data from the credit reporting giant. Federal law prohibits the sale of a person’s private credit information except under certain circumstances, such as when he or she has applied for a loan. The plaintiffs argued TransUnion crossed the line in the sale of private information.

The settlement represents a big opportunity to both borrowers and TransUnion. By filing a claim under the lawsuit, eligible plaintiffs receive 6 to 9 months of free access to one of the industry’s premier credit monitoring services. TransUnion offers a wide range of credit monitoring and educational resources.

The settlement represents a boon to TransUnion in that the company does not admit to any wrongdoing and at the same time offers a free trial to 160 million potential customers. Six months is more than enough time to get a handle on your credit profile, and it’s likely that after a free trial lasting 6 to 9 months, many will continue to subscribe to the company’s service.

Anyone who had any type of loan account between January 1987 and last Wednesday (and there must be some sort of prize for anyone who does not fit in that category!) is eligible to file a claim under the settlement. Claims can be filed starting June 16^th at the settlement web site https://www.listclassaction.com/ or by calling 866-416-3470.

credit monitoring credit score TransUnion Turbo Tagger

(Source: Chicago Tribune, May 31, 2008, Kathy Kristof)