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OH NO, NOT ANOTHER CREDIT BUREAU!
Innovis-CBC on the horizon

Lately we have been receiving a lot of email asking if we knew anything about a bureau called Innovis. I had only recently heard of them through a press release at Equifax's corporate site. I was only browsing the press release about new privacy rights afforded to consumers' when I came across the paragraph that mentioned Innovis. Shocked, I started to search the web trying to find out more. I found http://www.innovis.com which I am now posting here.

As if consumers' did not have enough trouble with the big three, now there is a fourth. No one speaks of them and consumers rarely know about it. When will this fourth bureau be acting like the other three? The company appears to be a B2B not B2C business (sells to businesses not consumers) but nonetheless I have a right to protect my privacy, be removed from these lists and certainly to know who is keeping a default list on me and whether or not it's accurate. So, the story goes- Here we go again to fight yet another bureau- Bet the others are happy for the break.

Why do we have a fourth now and how does that affect consumers?
Will there be a fourth one that we have to communicate with in order to correct errors in credit reports? Worst of all, the company appears to sell information about us to lenders with a mailing list program and a fail-safe delinquency list. Additionally you find numerous websites now referring to the 'four bureaus" therefore everyone has accepted that Innovis is a repository. In a few news articles via the web, we found the same tone throughout which was that Innovis is fairly new and when asked why they do not post information on their website about consumers gaining access to their files, they were told by Innovis that the company is still building its databases and is basically not ready. Ready enough to do business heh?

Here's what we have found to date regarding this company. (Links may expire over time)

• Secret Credit Bureau May Be Violating Consumer's Rights
• Innovis - Secret Credit Bureau Report
• A reply letter from someone claiming to be an Innovis employee
• The credit report you don't know about By Holden Lewis • Bankrate.com
• The Latest on Your New Rights to Privacy... Our Answers to Your Questions: FDIC
• Credit Agency Giving Consumers Something Else To Worry About- Innovis Can Hinder Ability To Get Good Offers

If you want your name and address removed from all mailing lists offered by the credit-reporting agencies: Trans Union, Experian, Equifax and INNOVIS, call 888-5OPTOUT (888-567-8688).

From the company's web site: Innovis offers unique products to the market place, such as fail-safe and New Movers. These products provide an opportunity for preapproved solicitations. The products are continually updated to provide fresh, responsive names targeted to your needs. Innovis is a required credit repository for reporting purposes to those who are Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac servicers. For credit applications, disclosures or disputes of your credit report, contact your local Credit Bureau.

failSafe: A national database of consumers with unfavorable current or past credit histories.

New Movers: A list of consumers who have reported a change of address.

From their "About us" page ( and keep up it gets tricky!)
ACB Services was founded in 1970 by Associated Credit Bureaus (ACB). ACB Services was created to provide consumer credit information to member firms. ACB Services' data was gathered from national and regional credit grantors. In 1989 the company was purchased and renamed Consumers Credit Associates (CCA). Responding to requests from credit grantors for innovative solutions and enhanced services in the consumer credit industry, CCA worked to create unique products and services. Concurrently, the company began to gain commitments from major credit grantors to contribute data. In 1997, First Data Corporation purchased CCA and further developed CCA's systems and programs. In October 1998, First Data Corporation renamed this division Innovis Data Solutions, Inc. In April of 1999, CBC Companies purchased Innovis Inc. from First Data Corporation. CBC Companies has been providing consumer credit information through its credit bureau organization for over 50 years. As an affiliate of CBC Companies, Innovis will continue to develop unique tools for credit decisioning and risk management. An Affiliation of: © 1996-2001, CBC Companies

Here are the addresses we have gathered thus far on Innovis. It's interesting to note that as of December 2,2002 we could no longer find their address or phone number on their 'about us" page. Update: As of June 2003 Innovis has added a contact page. The information is below on how to get your report from Innovis.

Innovis Data Solutions
Post Office Box 219297
Houston, TX 77218-9297
800.540.2505
877-INNOVIS

Innovis Data Solutions
950 Threadneedle Street, Suite 200
Houston, TX 77079-2903

Innovis, Data Management Services,
P.O. Box 218400,
Houston, Texas 77218-8400,
(281) 504-2600

Innovis Data Solutions,
1691 NW Professional Plaza,
Columbus, OH. 43220

To request a copy of your credit report we ask that you make your request in writing. Please include your:

Full Name
Current Address (along with a copy of your driver's license or utility bill showing your current address) Previous addresses for the past 2 years
Social Security Number
Date of Birth
Current Employer
Phone Number
Signature

Please send a check or money order to Innovis Consumer Assistance in the amount indicated for your state.

California $8.00
Connecticut $5.00
Maine $2.00
Minnesota $3.00
Montana $8.50
All other States $9.00

Residents of the following states are entitled to one or more free credit report(s).

Colorado
Georgia
Maryland
Massachusetts
New Jersey
Vermont

Please mail your request to:
Innovis Consumer Assistance
P.O. Box 1358
Columbus, OH 43216-1358

From PIRG: To take action
Credit bureaus such as Equifax, Experian, Innovis, TransUnion, Chexsystems, Certegy and Teletrack are all credit bureaus, so are tenant screening agencies and the MIB (medical information bureau). All must comply with the law. If you are denied credit, denied a payday loan, denied the right to cash a check, or any other service because of a report provided by any of these firms, ask them for a copy of "all the information in your file." As required by the FCRA. Contact USPIRG and the FTC if you get nowhere with them.