Understanding the federal laws that protect consumers and hold corporations accountable.
The information provided in this section is for educational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice or an attorney-client relationship.
FCRA
Credit Report Errors
The Fair Credit Reporting Act guarantees your right to an accurate consumer credit file. Credit bureaus must follow reasonable procedures to ensure accuracy, and both the bureaus and the lenders or debt collectors that furnish data to them must reasonably investigate the errors you dispute. When inaccurate information keeps damaging your score and they refuse to correct it, federal law lets consumers recover damages — and Midwest Consumer Law represents consumers in those cases.
The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act protects consumers from abusive, deceptive, and unfair debt collection. A collector cannot threaten you, call your workplace after being told to stop, or lie about what you owe. When a debt collector crosses these federal limits, the law provides for statutory damages, actual damages, and attorney's fees — and we represent consumers in holding collectors accountable.
The Telephone Consumer Protection Act restricts automated calls and texts sent without your prior express consent. Marketers and debt collectors cannot use autodialers or prerecorded messages to flood your phone. Federal law sets statutory damages for each illegal call or text, and we represent consumers in recovering them.
The Electronic Fund Transfer Act and Regulation E protect consumers when money is taken from their accounts without authorization. Banks and payment apps must investigate reported errors within strict timelines and generally cannot make you bear the cost of an unauthorized transfer. When a financial institution refuses to properly investigate or refund an unauthorized charge, it may be violating federal law — and we represent consumers in those disputes.
Tenant screening companies are consumer reporting agencies under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, and they must follow reasonable procedures to ensure their reports are accurate. Too often they report criminal records, evictions, or debts that belong to someone else — and a renter gets denied housing because of it. The FCRA provides for statutory damages, actual damages, and attorney's fees, and we represent consumers harmed by inaccurate screening reports.
Background check companies used for employment are consumer reporting agencies under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, subject to strict accuracy requirements. When a report shows someone else's criminal record, an expunged charge, or a case of mistaken identity, it can cost you a job. Federal law lets consumers recover damages for this kind of careless reporting, and we represent people harmed by inaccurate employment background checks.
Medical billing errors routinely become credit report errors and wrongful collection. Bureaus and collectors report inaccurate balances, bills already covered by insurance, and debts that were never owed. The Fair Credit Reporting Act protects your right to an accurate file, and the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act bars collectors from using false or misleading representations to collect a debt. When they ignore your disputes or keep collecting on invalid debt, we represent consumers under both laws.
When your identity is stolen, the Fair Credit Reporting Act gives you specific tools to clear the fraudulent accounts — including the right to have identity theft information blocked from your credit file. Banks and credit bureaus must investigate and cannot keep reporting debts that aren't yours. When they fail to follow the law, federal statutes let consumers recover damages, and we represent people working to restore their financial reputation after identity theft.