by montyloree » Wed Mar 24, 2010 11:53:08 AM
I just received this email from TransUnion's compliance department.
It's still a little vague and white washed, however, it's better than nothing.
Dear Mr. Loree,
Thank you for your inquiry. This email is written in response to the email received by Trans Union of Canada, Inc. (“TransUnion”) on March 18, 2010.
We have inserted our responses below in green.
The questions I have are as follows:
Who is the privacy officer for TransUnion Canada?
* All privacy-related inquiries can be addressed in writing to the Privacy Officer at privacy@transunion.ca. The Privacy Fact Notice posted on our website (which can be found by clicking on the link to the Privacy Policy at the bottom of our home page) also provides our mailing addresses.
Does TransUnion have a media/corporate communications department that can communicate with websites such as mine to answer questions for my visitors?
Most general questions about credit reporting can be answered by referring to our website at www.transunion.ca. If a consumer has a specific question about an item on his credit report, he can he can speak with a consumer relations representative or request an investigation in writing. You will find all contact information by clicking on “Contact Us” in the top right hand corner of our home page.
With regards to your credit reports:
With relation to the "Collection Accounts: Delinquent accounts sent for recovery" section of your credit report
Who reports these items to you? Is it the collection agency or the creditor?
Items reporting in the “Collections” segment of the credit report are reported by registered collections agencies. The original creditor is also noted in the segment.
With relation to collection agencies collecting personal information about a debtor:
It is my understanding that unless there are the proper agreements in place between the Debtor --> Creditor --> Collection Agency, a collection agency cannot collect or disclose information to/from a credit bureau.
IE.. if the debtor doesn't give proper permission through agreements to the collection agency, the third party collection agency cannot disclose a collection item to a credit bureau.
Similarly, based on PIPEDA, without proper agreements in place, a collection agency cannot do an inquiry to a individuals credit.
We are not in a position to interpret the law for you. However, we do confirm that our customers are contractually bound to report information about a consumer and/or make inquiries in a manner that complies with applicable law and our agreement with them.
Yours truly,
Compliance Department
Trans Union of Canada, Inc.