Congressman: Employers use scores, and utilization ratio importance

Also, see National Financial Literacy Month, 2011 (video), Myth: Employers use credit scores Credit bureaus claim that they do not provide credit scores for employment screening Groundhog Day, 2012 Groundhog Day, 2011 Credit scores in employment, Believers and Nonbelievers Video: Media say employers use scores (2009) Federal Reserve on credit scores used by employers, 2009 Federal Reserve on credit scores used by employers, 2010 Federal Reserve on credit scores used by employers, 2010 (one more time) Members of Congress say credit scores are used by employers Members of Congress say credit scores are used by employers II Members of Congress say credit scores are used by employers III U.S. House representative testifies employers use credit scores U.S. Treasury Suggests Employers Use Credit Scores DoD agency states it does not use credit scores for security clearances White House credit score requirements Mentions of credit scores in employment in Oregon Washington attorney general on what "can" and "may" happen FICO company warns employers use credit scores that credit reporting agencies deny providing TransUnion employers survey credit report question error Training TransUnion on credit scores, employers Equifax: Employers can know your credit score Training Equifax on credit scores, employers Experian: Employers use credit scores Training Experian on credit scores, employers VantageScore: Employers use credit scores Employers using credit scores blogger meme Canada Day: Reuters, FICO and the employers myth USA TODAY will not reveal its source USA TODAY will not reveal its source II McClatchy newspaper will not identify its sources AP reports legislator said employers use credit scores Dallas Morning News on employers using Equifax credit scores and reports Influence: Hearst; San Francisco Chronicle Influence: Tribune; LA Times Credit score use by employers depiction by CBS Influence: CBS U.S. PIRG fails to prove employers use credit scores Influence: Consumers Union

From a letter to the Comptroller of the Currency, United States Department of the Treasury:

"The credit utilization ratio is an important element in a consumer’s credit score, and the higher the credit utilization ratio, the lower the credit score. A lower credit score can have far-reaching unrelated effects, such as eligibility for employment or life insurance."

Dennis J. Kucinich, member (D-OH), U.S. House of Representatives
October 29, 2009

Dissonance with the legislator's message

1. Exactly how "important" the credit card utilization ratio is is unknown.
2. The consumer reporting agencies do not provide credit scores for employment purposes.
3. Treasury, the recipient of the letter, itself, claims that credit scores are used in employment screening.

Blogs Dandelion Salad, AllBusiness.com, TradingMarkets.com parrot the congressman with no question. Using attribution to something called "Congressional Documents and Publications/ContentWorks via COMTEX," the story on TradingMarkets.com states, "Credit scores are now used in writing insurance policies and even in determining employability."

Despite the evidence, so it goes-- another page in the credit score Bleak Account.