Truth In Lending Act - Requires creditor to provide the consumer with accurate and complete credit costs and terms.

Equal Credit Opportunity Act (ECOA) - Prohibits a creditor from discriminating against a consumer on the basis of age, sex, or marital status, reliance on income from a public assistance program, and race, color, religion, or national origin.

Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) - The purpose of this act is to insure that information contained in a credit report is accurate and that it will be used in a confidential manner. Consumers have a right to dispute information that may be derogatory of erroneous, inaccurate information must be corrected or deleted, and a consumer explanation statement of 100 words or less can also be included in the report. A credit bureau must also delete adverse information which is more than seven years old and information on bankruptcy which is more than ten years old.

The Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act (FACTA) - The FACT Act was signed into law at the end of 2003.  This Act amends the Fair Credit Reporting Act and gives every consumer the right to a free credit report every year from each of the three major credit bureaus: Equifax, Experian and TransUnion.  To get your free report, visit www.annualcreditreport.com or call 877-322-8228.

Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) - A third party collector is prohibited from:

• Using abusive language to coerce a consumer into making payments.
• Calling at unreasonable hours (before 8:00am and after 9:00pm) or making excessive calls.
• Threatening to notify the employer or friends that the consumer has not paid his bills.
• Using false pretenses to gain entry to the home with the intent to identify or take something of value.
• Attempting to collect more than what is owed.
• Sending the consumer misleading letters that may appear to be from a government agency or a court of law.

The Fair Credit Billing Act (FCBA) and Electronic Fund Transfer Act (EFTA) - These Acts can help consumers resolve mistakes on credit billing and electronic fund transfer account statements.  The Acts outline procedures for correcting several types of errors including unauthorized charges and the failure to properly reflect payments.