Opinion ID: 3003807
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Fair Credit Reporting Act Claim

Text: Hukic also contests the district court’s grant of summary judgment to Aurora and Ocwen on his FCRA claim. In addition to imposing obligations on consumer reporting agencies, the FCRA contains requirements for entities such as Aurora and Ocwen that furnish information to those agencies. For example, an entity cannot furnish information if it knows or has reasonable cause to know the information is inaccurate. 15 U.S.C. § 1681s- 2(a)(1)(A). Because Hukic had not complied with his obligations under the mortgage agreement regarding the amounts Aurora and Ocwen paid for taxes and insurance, Aurora and Ocwen were not furnishing false information when they informed consumer reporting agencies that he was behind on his payments. In 15 U.S.C. § 1681s-2(b)(1), the FCRA mandates that “[a]fter receiving notice pursuant to section 1681i(a)(2) of this title of a dispute with regard to the completeness or accuracy of any information provided” to a con- sumer reporting agency, the furnisher must conduct an investigation regarding the disputed information and report the results to the agency. If the investigation concludes that a disputed item is inaccurate or cannot be verified, the furnisher must promptly modify, delete, or block the reporting of that information. 15 U.S.C. § 1681s-2(b)(1)(E). On April 1, 2004, Hukic sent a letter to the credit reporting agency TransUnion that disputed the status of his Ocwen account, and he asked Trans Union to investigate. TransUnion conveyed information to Ocwen regarding 22 No. 07-3826 Hukic’s dispute in accordance with its obligation under 15 U.S.C. § 1681i(a)(1). Ocwen removed the negative information it reported on or before May 1, 2004. Ocwen therefore complied with its obligations under the FCRA. Although Ocwen removed Hukic’s negative information after its investigation, Aurora continued to report that Hukic’s account with it had been delinquent. Hukic never notified any credit reporting agencies that he disputed the status of his Aurora account. He argued to the district court, however, that Ocwen had a duty to inform Aurora that items on Hukic’s credit report were disputed. Although Hukic maintained that Ocwen was Aurora’s “sub-agent,” there is no evidence in the record that Aurora hired Ocwen to assist it in transacting its affairs. See AYH Holdings, Inc. v. Avreco, Inc., 826 N.E.2d 1111, 1125-26 (Ill. App. Ct. 2005). He also argued that Ocwen had “constructive knowledge” that Aurora reported Hukic as late after Ocwen received access to Hukic’s credit report, but he does not point to any provision in the FCRA that would require an information furnisher to investigate information reported by other entities. Summary judgment was therefore proper on Hukic’s claim under 15 U.S.C. § 1681s-2(b) as well.