One of the more fascinating platform items of the Biden presidential campaign was the idea of transferring consumer credit ratings from Equifax (NYSE: EFX), Experian PLC (OTC: EXPGY) and TransUnion (NYSE: TRU) to a public registry under the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
As reported by the Balance, this idea was examined in depth in a paper published by a think tank called Demos in 2019. One major takeaway of that paper was that “decisions drawing on credit data reproduce and spread existing racial inequality, making it harder to achieve true economic equity.” Demos proposed the idea of a public credit registry in that paper.
The CFPB has a new acting director, Dave Uejio, who recently replaced Trump appointee Kathleen Kraninger. In a CFPB blog post dated Jan. 28, Uejio stated his two main priorities would be “(1) relief for consumers facing hardship due to COVID-19 and the related economic crisis, and (2) racial equity.” But nowhere does his statement specifically mention the idea of a public credit reporting agency.
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