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Managing Your Credit: The Fair Credit Reporting Act

July 16, 2026 3:45 pm

Consumer credit card debt in the U.S. is a growing concern. Despite recent efforts to curb rising interest rates, many Americans struggle to manage their credit card balances. The Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) latest Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), now available from the Government Publishing Office (GPO) Bookstore, gives consumers the right to access their credit reports, dispute inaccuracies, and know who has accessed their credit information.

Here’s a summary of what the FCRA does:

• Protects the accuracy of your credit information: You have the right to dispute any errors on your credit report. The FCRA requires credit reporting agencies to investigate disputes and remove inaccurate information.
• Gives you control of your credit report: You can get a free copy from the three major credit reporting agencies (Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion) once a year. You can also dispute errors online or by mail.
• Limits who can see your credit report: Credit reporting agencies can only share your credit report with creditors and other businesses with a permissible purpose, such as landlords, insurers, and employers.

Now is a great time to familiarize yourself with the provisions of the FCRA to protect your rights as a consumer.

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About the author: Blogger Trudy Hawkins is the Senior Marketing & Promotions Specialist in GPO’s Publication & Information Sales Office, supporting the U.S. Government Online Bookstore (https://bookstore.gpo.gov).

Posted by Trudy Hawkins

Categories: Consumers, finances

Tags: credit card debt, credit report, credit reporting, Fair Credit Reporting Act, FCRA, Federal Trade Commission, FTC

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