Financial Privacy
Having control over your personal information is the very essence of privacy, and personally identifiable financial information is among the most sensitive of all personal information. Personally identifiable information includes, for example, information that you provide on an application for a loan or credit card, your account balances, your payment history, your overdraft history, and where you make purchases by debit or credit card. In some instances, it can even include medical information. Until recently the limits on sharing and selling your personally identifiable financial information that applied to your bank, credit union, credit card company, insurance company and other financial service companies was not clear. A federal law that took effect in 2001 gives consumers the right to stop some of that information sharing. Even if you threw away the first privacy notices sent by your financial services companies, it is not too late to make your wishes known. The information offered here is intended to help consumers exercise their rights under the law and gain some control over their personal financial information.
(Consumer Information Sheet 2)
California Financial Information Privacy Act
Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act Privacy Rule
Paying by Credit Card or Check What Can Merchants Ask
Financial Privacy Resources, Privacy Rights Clearinghouse
Financial Privacy Report Card, Consumer Federation of California (January 2004)
