‘‘(3) CONSUMER DISCLOSURE.—If a consumer 
requests a security freeze, the consumer reporting 
agency shall disclose to the consumer— 
‘‘(A) the process of placing and removing 
the security freeze; 
‘‘(B) the potential consequences of the se-
curity freeze; and 
‘‘(C) the following statement: 
‘‘ ‘DISCLOSURE
RELATING
TO
SECURITY 
FREEZE.—A security freeze gives you the abil-
ity to ‘‘freeze’’ or prevent access to your credit 
file by anyone trying to open up a new account 
or to receive new credit in your name. Before 
you place a security freeze you should have a 
clear understanding of how a freeze works and 
the consequences. When a security freeze is in 
place, an identity thief cannot open a new ac-
count in your name because the potential cred-
itor or seller of services will not be able to check 
your credit file. When you are applying for 
credit, you can temporarily lift the freeze using 
a personal identification number (PIN) so that 
legitimate applications for credit or services can 
be processed. Without lifting the freeze, you will 
not be able to get new credit. A freeze does not 
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affect your ability to use your existing lines of 
credit such as your present credit cards, mort-
gage, or car loan.’ ’’. 
‘‘(b) EFFECT OF SECURITY FREEZE.— 
‘‘(1) RELEASE OF INFORMATION BLOCKED.—If 
a security freeze is in place on a consumer report of 
a consumer, a consumer reporting agency may not 
release the consumer report or information from the 
consumer report to a third party without prior ex-
press authorization from the consumer. 
‘‘(2) INFORMATION PROVIDED TO THIRD PAR-
TIES.—Paragraph (1) shall not be construed as pre-
venting a consumer reporting agency from advising 
a third party that a security freeze is in effect with 
respect to a consumer report of a consumer. 
‘‘(3) TREATMENT
AS
INCOMPLETE
APPLICA-
TION.—If a third party, in connection with an appli-
cation for credit, requests access to a consumer re-
port on which a security freeze is in place, the third 
party may treat the application as incomplete. 
‘‘(c) REMOVAL; TEMPORARY SUSPENSIONS.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in para-
graph (4) or (5), a security freeze shall remain in 
place until the consumer requests that the security 
freeze be removed in any manner in which a security 
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freeze may be requested under subsection (a)(1)(A) 
or through a centralized source established under 
subsection (a)(2). 
‘‘(2) 
CONDITIONS.—A 
consumer 
reporting 
agency may remove a security freeze placed on the 
consumer report of a consumer only— 
‘‘(A) upon the consumer’s request, pursu-
ant to paragraph (1) if accompanied by appro-
priate identification of the consumer and the 
appropriate unique PIN or password provided 
in accordance with subsection (a)(1)(C)(ii); or 
‘‘(B) if the agency determines that the 
consumer report of a consumer was frozen due 
to a material misrepresentation of fact by the 
consumer. 
‘‘(3) NOTIFICATION TO CONSUMER.—If a con-
sumer reporting agency intends to remove a freeze 
upon the consumer report of a consumer pursuant 
to paragraph (2)(B), the consumer reporting agency 
shall notify the consumer in writing prior to remov-
ing the freeze on the consumer report. 
‘‘(4) TEMPORARY SUSPENSION FOR SPECIFIED 
TIME
PERIOD.—A consumer may have a security 
freeze on the consumer report of the consumer tem-
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porarily suspended for a specified period of time by 
making a request to a consumer reporting agency— 
‘‘(A) in any manner in which a security 
freeze may be requested under subsection 
(a)(1)(A) or through a centralized source estab-
lished under subsection (a)(2), if accompanied 
by appropriate identification of the consumer 
and the appropriate unique PIN or password 
provided 
in 
accordance 
with 
subsection 
(a)(1)(C)(ii); and 
‘‘(B) specifying the beginning and ending 
dates for the period during which the security 
freeze is not to apply to the consumer report of 
the consumer. 
‘‘(5) CONFIRMATION.—Whenever a consumer 
reporting agency removes or temporarily suspends a 
security freeze on the consumer report of a con-
sumer at the request of that consumer under this 
subsection, the consumer reporting agency shall send 
a written confirmation of such action to the con-
sumer within 3 business days after removing or tem-
porarily suspending the security freeze on the con-
sumer report. 
‘‘(d) USE OF IDENTIFICATION INFORMATION.— 
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‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Any information requested 
by a consumer reporting agency for the purpose of 
identifying a consumer in order to place, lift, or re-
move a security freeze or to replace a lost PIN or 
password may not be used by the consumer report-
ing agency for any other purpose. 
‘‘(2) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Paragraph (1) 
shall not be construed as limiting the use by a con-
sumer reporting agency of information described in 
such paragraph that was acquired by the consumer 
reporting agency in any other manner or for any 
other purpose. 
‘‘(e) RESPONSE TIMES.— 
‘‘(1) IN
GENERAL.—A consumer reporting 
agency shall— 
‘‘(A) place a security freeze on the con-
sumer report of a consumer in accordance with 
subsection (a) not later than 1 business day 
after receiving a request from the consumer 
under subsection (a)(1); and 
‘‘(B) remove, or temporarily suspend, a se-
curity freeze in accordance with subsection (c) 
within 1 business day after— 
‘‘(i) receiving a request by mail or fax 
for removal or temporary suspension of the 
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freeze from the consumer under subsection 
(c); or 
‘‘(ii) receiving such a request from a 
consumer by telephone, fax, or a secure 
electronic method in any case in which 
paragraph (2)(A) does not apply pursuant 
to paragraph (2)(B). 
‘‘(2) FAST RESPONSE TO REQUEST BY TELE-
PHONE OR A SECURE ELECTRONIC METHOD.— 
‘‘(A) IN
GENERAL.—Subject to subpara-
graph (B), a consumer reporting agency shall 
remove, or temporarily suspend, a security 
freeze in accordance with subsection (c) within 
15 minutes of receiving a request for removal 
or temporary suspension of the freeze from the 
consumer by telephone or a secure electronic 
method. 
‘‘(B) 
EXCEPTION.—Subparagraph 
(A) 
shall not apply to a request by consumer if— 
‘‘(i) the consumer fails to meet the re-
quirements of paragraph (2)(A), (4), or (5) 
of subsection (c); or 
‘‘(ii) the ability of the consumer re-
porting agency to remove the security 
freeze within 15 minutes is prevented by— 
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‘‘(I) an act of God, including fire, 
earthquakes, hurricanes, storms, or 
similar 
natural 
disaster 
or 
phe-
nomena; 
‘‘(II) unauthorized or illegal acts 
by a third party, including terrorism, 
sabotage, riot, vandalism, labor strikes 
or disputes disrupting operations, or 
similar occurrence; 
‘‘(III) operational interruption, 
including electrical failure, unantici-
pated delay in equipment or replace-
ment part delivery, computer hard-
ware or software failures inhibiting re-
sponse time, or similar disruption; 
‘‘(IV) governmental action, in-
cluding emergency orders or regula-
tions, judicial or law enforcement ac-
tion, or similar directives; 
‘‘(V) regularly scheduled mainte-
nance, during other than normal busi-
ness hours, of, or updates to, the con-
sumer reporting agency’s systems; or 
‘‘(VI) commercially reasonable 
maintenance of, or repair to, the con-
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bajohnson on PROD1PC69 with BILLS
report of such consumer in contravention of the 
security freeze while such freeze is in effect. 
‘‘(2) OTHER
EXEMPTED
ENTITIES.—The fol-
lowing entities shall not be required to place a secu-
rity freeze in a consumer report under this section: 
‘‘(A) A check services or fraud prevention 
services company, which issues reports on inci-
dents of fraud or authorizations for the purpose 
of approving or processing negotiable instru-
ments, electronic funds transfers, or similar 
methods of payments. 
‘‘(B) A deposit account information service 
company, which issues reports regarding ac-
count closures due to fraud, substantial over-
drafts, automated teller machine abuse, or simi-
lar negative information regarding a consumer, 
to inquiring depository institutions or other fi-
nancial institutions for use only in reviewing a 
consumer request for a deposit account at the 
inquiring depository institution or other finan-
cial institution. 
‘‘(3) EXEMPTED
DATABASES.—This section 
shall not apply a database or file maintained by a 
consumer reporting agency that is used solely for 
any of the following purposes: 
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‘‘(A) Criminal record information. 
‘‘(B) Fraud prevention or detection. 
‘‘(C) Tenant screening. 
‘‘(D) Employee screening.’’. 
(b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendment made by 
subsection (a) shall take effect at the end of the 6-month 
period beginning on the date of the enactment of this Act. 
Æ 
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