Source: https://www.creditfirm.net/services/croa
Timestamp: 2019-04-18 10:33:51+00:00

Document:
406. Credit repair organizations contracts.
407. Right to cancel contract.
408. Noncompliance with this title.
412. Relation to State law.
This title may be cited as the ‘Credit Repair Organizations Act’.
(1) Consumers have a vital interest in establishing and maintaining their credit worthiness and credit standing in order to obtain and use credit. As a result, consumers who have experienced credit problems may seek assistance from credit repair organizations which offer to improve the credit standing of such consumers.
(2) Certain advertising and business practices of some companies engaged in the business of credit repair services have worked a financial hardship upon consumers, particularly those of limited economic means and who are inexperienced in credit matters.
(2) to protect the public from unfair or deceptive advertising and business practices by credit repair organizations.
(1) Consumer. — The term ‘consumer’ means an individual.
(2) Consumer credit transaction. — The term ‘consumer credit transaction’ means any transaction in which credit is offered or extended to an individual for personal, family, or household purposes.
(iii) any depository institution (as that term is defined in section 3 of the Federal Deposit Insurance Act) or any Federal or State credit union (as those terms are defined in section 101 of the Federal Credit Union Act), or any affiliate or subsidiary of such a depository institution or credit union.
(4) engage, directly or indirectly, in any act, practice, or course of business that constitutes or results in the commission of, or an attempt to commit, a fraud or deception on any person in connection with the offer or sale of the services of the credit repair organization.
(b) Payment in Advance.–No credit repair organization may charge or receive any money or other valuable consideration for the performance of any service which the credit repair organization has agreed to perform for any consumer before such service is fully performed.
You have a right to dispute inaccurate information in your credit report by contacting the credit bureau directly. However, neither you nor any ”credit repair” company or credit repair organization has the right to have accurate, current, and verifiable information removed from your credit report. The credit bureau must remove accurate, negative information from your report only if it is over 7 years old. Bankruptcy information can be reported for 10 years.
(b) Separate Statement Requirement.–The written statement required under this section shall be provided as a document which is separate from any written contract or other agreement between the credit repair organization and the consumer or any other written material provided to the consumer.
(1) In general.–The credit repair organization shall maintain a copy of the statement signed by the consumer acknowledging receipt of the statement.
(2) Maintenance for 2 years.–The copy of any consumer’s statement shall be maintained in the organization’s files for 2 years after the date on which the statement is signed by the consumer.
(2) before the end of the 3-business-day period beginning on the date the contract is signed.
(4) a conspicuous statement in bold face type, in immediate proximity to the space reserved for the consumer’s signature on the contract, which reads as follows: ‘You may cancel this contract without penalty or obligation at any time before midnight of the 3rd business day after the date on which you signed the contract. See the attached notice of cancellation form for an explanation of this right.’.
(a) In General. — Any consumer may cancel any contract with any credit repair organization without penalty or obligation by notifying the credit repair organization of the consumer’s intention to do so at any time before midnight of the 3rd business day which begins after the date on which the contract or agreement between the consumer and the credit repair organization is executed or would, but for this subsection, become enforceable against the parties.
‘You may cancel this contract, without any penalty or obligation, at any time before midnight of the 3rd day which begins after the date the contract is signed by you.
(1) a copy of the completed contract and the disclosure statement required under section 405; and (2) a copy of any other document the credit repair organization requires the consumer to sign, at the time the contract or the other document is signed.
(2) may not be enforced by any Federal or State court or any other person.
(b) Attempt To Obtain Waiver.–Any attempt by any person to obtain a waiver from any consumer of any protection provided by or any right of the consumer under this title shall be treated as a violation of this title.
(B) any amount paid by the person to the credit repair organization.
(A) Individual actions.–In the case of any action by an individual, such additional amount as the court may allow.
(ii) the aggregate of the amount which the court may allow for each other class member, without regard to any minimum individual recovery.
(3) Attorneys’ fees.–In the case of any successful action to enforce any liability under paragraph (1) or (2), the costs of the action, together with reasonable attorneys’ fees.
(4) in the case of any class action, the number of consumers adversely affected.
(a) In General.–Compliance with the requirements imposed under this title with respect to credit repair organizations shall be enforced under the Federal Trade Commission Act by the Federal Trade Commission.
(1) In general. — For the purpose of the exercise by the Federal Trade Commission of the Commission’s functions and powers under the Federal Trade Commission Act, any violation of any requirement or prohibition imposed under this title with respect to credit repair organizations shall constitute an unfair or deceptive act or practice in commerce in violation of section 5(a) of the Federal Trade Commission Act.
(B) meets any other jurisdictional tests in the Federal Trade Commission Act.
(1) upon the Federal Trade Commission and provide the Commission with a copy of its complaint, except in any case where such prior notice is not feasible, in which case the State shall serve such notice immediately upon instituting such action.
(iii) to file petitions for appeal.
(3) Investigatory powers. — For purposes of bringing any action under this subsection, nothing in this subsection shall prevent the chief law enforcement officer, or an official or agency designated by a State, from exercising the powers conferred on the chief law enforcement officer or such official by the laws of such State to conduct investigations or to administer oaths or affirmations or to compel the attendance of witnesses or the production of documentary and other evidence.
(4) Limitation. — Whenever the Federal Trade Commission has instituted a civil action for violation of this title, no State may, during the pendency of such action, bring an action under this section against any defendant named in the complaint of the Commission for any violation of this title that is alleged in that complaint.
Any action to enforce any liability under this title may be brought before the later of– (1) the end of the 5-year period beginning on the date of the occurrence of the violation involved; or (2) in any case in which any credit repair organization has materially and willfully misrepresented any information which– (A) the credit repair organization is required, by any provision of this title, to disclose to any consumer; and (B) is material to the establishment of the credit repair organization’s liability to the consumer under this title, the end of the 5-year period beginning on the date of the discovery by the consumer of the misrepresentation.
This title shall not annul, alter, affect, or exempt any person subject to the provisions of this title from complying with any law of any State except to the extent that such law is inconsistent with any provision of this title, and then only to the extent of the inconsistency.
This title shall apply after the end of the 6-month period beginning on the date of the enactment of the Credit Repair Organizations Act,(18) except with respect to contracts entered into by a credit repair organization before the end of such period.”.
1. Pub. L. No. 104-208, 110 Stat. 3009 (Sept. 30, 1996). The amendments to the credit statutes are in Title II of the Act, entitled “Economic Growth and Regulatory Paperwork Reduction.” The footnotes in this copy of the Act are not part of the Act, but are cross-references inserted by the FTC staff for the convenience of the reader.
2. To be codified as 15 U.S.C. § 1679.
3. To be codified as 15 U.S.C. § 1679a.
4. To be codified as 15 U.S.C. § 1679b.
7. To be codified as 15 U.S.C. § 1679c.
9. To be codified as 15 U.S.C. § 1679d.
10. To be codified as 15 U.S.C. § 1679e.
11. To be codified as 15 U.S.C. § 1679f.
12. To be codified as 15 U.S.C. § 1679g.
13. To be codified as 15 U.S.C. § 1679h.
14. To be codified as 15 U.S.C. § 1679i.
15. To be codified as 15 U.S.C. § 1679j.
16. To be codified as 15 U.S.C. § 1679k.
17. To be codified as 15 U.S.C. § 1679l.
18. The statute was signed by the President on September 30, 1996.

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