Title 6
Commercial Law — General Regulatory Provisions

Chapter 13.1
Deceptive Trade Practices

R.I. Gen. Laws § 6-13.1-20

§ 6-13.1-20. Credit reports — Definitions.

As used in this chapter:

(1) “Credit bureau” means any entity or person who or that, for monetary fees, dues, or on a cooperative nonprofit basis, regularly engages in whole or in part in the practice of assembling or evaluating consumer credit information or other information on consumers for the purpose of furnishing credit reports to third parties;

(2)(i) “Credit report” means any written, oral, or other communication of any information by a credit bureau bearing on a consumer’s credit worthiness, credit standing, or credit capacity, that is used or expected to be used or collected in whole or in part for the purpose of serving as a factor in establishing the consumer’s eligibility for:

(A) Credit or insurance to be used primarily for personal, family, or household purposes;

(B) Employment purposes; or

(C) Other purposes authorized under the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act, 15 U.S.C. § 1681 et seq.

(ii) “Credit report” does not include:

(A) Any report containing information solely as to transactions or experiences between the consumer and the person making the report;

(B) Any authorization or approval of a specific extension of credit directly or indirectly by the issuer of a credit card or similar device;

(C) Any report in which a person who has been requested by a third party to make a specific extension of credit directly or indirectly to a consumer conveys his or her decision with respect to that request if the third party advises the consumer of the name and address of the person to whom the request was made and the person makes the disclosures to the consumer required under the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act, 15 U.S.C. § 1681 et seq.; or

(D) Any report containing information solely on a consumer’s character, general reputation, personal characteristics, or mode of living that is obtained through personal interviews with neighbors, friends, or associates of the consumer reported on, or with others with whom he or she is acquainted or who may have knowledge concerning those items of information, only if the report is not used in granting, extending, or decreasing credit.

History of Section.
P.L. 1993, ch. 430, § 1; P.L. 1994, ch. 265, § 1; P.L. 2014, ch. 528, § 10.