Credit reporting

Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., has filed a Congressional Review Act resolution to repeal the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's rule barring medical debt from credit reports.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, now led by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, agreed to temporarily halt enforcement and litigation over its medical debt rule, handing the banking industry an immediate reprieve.

Equifax agreed to resolve allegations that it failed to conduct proper investigations of consumer disputes, ignored evidence and allowed previously deleted inaccuracies to be reinstated on credit reports. The credit reporting bureau also shared inaccurate credit scores and data about consumers with lenders.

Two trade groups filed a lawsuit against the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau claiming it exceeded its authority and ignored the legislative history on medical debts.

Experian said it has gone "above and beyond the law" to investigate consumer disputes related to the accuracy of information.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau finalized a rule that will remove medical  bills from credit reports to end what the bureau called "coercive debt collection practices."

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's proposal to eliminate medical debts from credit reports is under attack from debt collectors, which claim the rule will drive up litigation costs and drive doctors out of business.

Banks and financial institutions face a barrage of lawsuits from consumers alleging they failed to investigate inaccurate information on a credit report. Industry blames the uptick in litigation on social media sites and the proliferation of credit repair companies.

Fifteen million Americans who owe a combined $49 billion in medical debt would benefit from a proposal by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to scrub medical debts from credit reports and ban their use in underwriting decisions.

At an industry conference, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Director Rohit Chopra said he was open to suggestions on how to increase choice and competition to benefit mortgage lenders and borrowers.