A bill in the California Senate has elicited a softened position from Fair, Isaac & Co. on credit score disclosure, which the company now says it supports in the context of a lending process.
In a letter to state Sen. Adam Schiff, a Democrat and chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Peter L. McCorkell, executive vice president of Fair, Isaac, wrote that the company "supports the disclosure by lenders in the context of a decision on a bona fide application for a mortgage loan, but we believe that mandatory disclosure of credit scores by consumer reporting agencies, not tied to a specific credit decision, is unwise."
An official at Fair, Isaac said the company has been and continues to be resistant to open score disclosures to consumers. "In the course of a discussion between a lender and a potential borrower, we support score discussion and explanation at that point," said Craig Watts, manager of consumer affairs. "We'd like to steer score disclosure to the most fruitful context, and we believe that is between a lender and borrower."
The California bill, introduced by state Sen. Liz Figueroa, a Democrat, would require disclosure of a consumer's Fair, Isaac credit score when seeking a loan on residential property. It would also require disclosure of the range of scores, clearly stated reasons for rejection, and information on how to contact the credit bureaus.
An amendment that was approved in concept two weeks ago and is to be added this week would make credit scores available to people with their credit reports for a $4 fee.
