New Mexico Approves Legislation to Limit Access to Credit Reports

The New Mexico legislature has passed a bill allowing consumers to place a security freeze on access to their credit report.

Just before the legislative session ended, Senate Bill 165 passed, allowing at the request of the consumer and subject to certain exceptions, the consumer to prohibit a reporting agency from releasing the consumer’s credit report or score relating to the extension of credit.

According to the bill, a consumer may request that a security freeze be placed on the consumer’s credit report by sending a request in writing by certified mail to a consumer reporting agency at the address designated by the consumer reporting agency to receive such requests. A reporting agency may advise a third party that a security freeze is in effect with respect to a consumer’s credit report. If the consumer requests a security freeze, the reporting agency shall disclose to the consumer the process for placing and for temporarily lifting a security freeze and the process for allowing access to information from the consumer’s credit report for a period of time while the security freeze is in place.

Despite the security measure, the bill included an exemption for any person using the information in connection with the underwriting of insurance.

Source; New Mexico Legislature