Consumer complaint received 2024-09-01 00:00:00
Product: Payday loan, title loan, personal loan, or advance loan — Personal line of credit
Issue: Getting a line of credit — 
Company: PNC Bank N.A.
State: TX

Complaint narrative:
Subject : Complaint Against PNC Bank for Violating the Fair Credit Reporting Act ( FCRA ) - Refusal to Process Credit Application Unless Consumer Waived Right to Opt-Out of Data Sharing Date of Incident : XX/XX/year> Bank Name : PNC Bank Location : Online/ via phone To Whom It May Concern : I am filing this complaint against PNC Bank for actions that I believe are in violation of the Fair Credit Reporting Act ( FCRA ), specifically concerning my right to opt-out of data sharing for account review purposes. 

Incident Details : On XX/XX/year>, I applied for a personal line of credit with PNC Bank. During the application process, I was presented with credit disclosures that included a request for my consent to share my payment history with Credit Reporting Agencies ( CRAs ) for account review purposes.

I informed the bank representative that I did not consent to having my payment history shared with CRAs. Despite exercising my right to opt-out under the FCRA, PNC Bank refused to proceed with my credit application unless I agreed to allow my payment history to be shared.

Applicable Law : Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act ( 15 U.S.C. 1681 et seq. ), consumers have the right to opt-out of having their credit information shared with third parties for account review purposes. Specifically : 15 U.S.C. 1681b ( a
) ( 3 ) ( F ) provides that consumer reporting agencies may furnish a consumer report to a person which " has a legitimate business need for the information ... in connection with a business transaction that is initiated by the consumer. '' 15 U.S.C. 1681b ( c ) ( 1 ) allows consumers to opt-out of having their information shared for certain prescreened offers of credit or insurance. 
Additionally, the FCRA prohibits creditors from making the extension of credit conditional on the waiver of the consumers right to opt-out. Conditioning the approval of my credit application on my consent to share my payment history constitutes a violation of my rights under the FCRA. 
Complaint : I believe that PNC Banks refusal to process my credit application unless I waived my right to opt-out of data sharing with CRAs for account review purposes is a violation of the FCRA. By making the extension of credit contingent on the waiver of my rights, PNC Bank has engaged in practices that are not only unfair but also illegal under federal law. 

Requested Resolution : I request that the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau : Investigate PNC Banks practices regarding conditioning credit applications on the waiver of FCRA opt-out rights. 
Ensure that PNC Bank ceases such practices immediately and takes corrective action to comply with the FCRA. 
Take appropriate enforcement action against PNC Bank for this violation. 
Inform me of any steps I need to take to ensure my rights are protected and that my credit application is processed fairly. 
I appreciate your attention to this serious matter and look forward to your prompt response.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation