that furnishes information to consumer reporting agencies. Typically, these are creditors, with which a consumer has some sort of credit agreement (such as credit card companies, auto finance companies and mortgage banking institutions). Other examples of information furnishers are collection agencies (third-party collectors), state or municipal courts reporting a judgment of some kind, past and present employers and bonders. Lenders have an important role to play in ensuring credit reports are accurate. Under the FCRA, creditors who furnish information about consumers to consumer reporting agencies must: Provide complete and accurate information to the credit reporting agencies; Investigate consumer disputes received from credit reporting agencies; Correct, delete, or verify information within 30 days of receipt of a dispute; and, Inform consumers about negative information which is in the process of or has already been placed on a consumer's credit report within one month. (This notice doesn't have to be sent as a separate notice, but may be placed on a consumer's monthly statement. If sent as part as the monthly statement, it needs to be conspicuous, but need not be in bold type. Required wording developed by the US Federal Treasury Department): Notice before negative information is reported: We may report information about your account to credit bureaus. Late payments, missed payments, or other defaults on your account may be reflected in your credit report. Notice after negative information is reported: We have told a credit bureau about a late payment, missed payment or other default on your account. This information may be reflected in your credit report. Consumer reporting agencies (CRAs) Consumer reporting agencies (CRAs) are entities that collect and disseminate information about consumers to be used for credit evaluation and certain other purposes, including employment. Credit bureaus, a type of consumer reporting agency, hold a consumer's credit report in their databases. CRAs have a number of responsibilities under FCRA, including the following: CRAs must maintain reasonable procedures to ensure the maximum possible accuracy of the information contained within a consumer's report; Provide a consumer with information about him or her in the agency's files and take steps to verify the accuracy of information disputed by a consumer; If negative information is removed as a result of a consumer's dispute, it may not be reinserted without notifying the consumer in writing within five days; and, Remove negative information seven years after the date of first delinquency (except for bankruptcies (10