[EileenWolter]

Consumers win free credit scores
By MSN Money staff

Tens of millions of Americans will be eligible for up to 9 months of free credit monitoring through a $10 billion class-action settlement with credit reporting giant TransUnion.

Credit reporting agency TransUnion will offer millions of people up to nine months of free credit monitoring and free access to their credit scores to help settle a long-running legal battle.

Who's entitled? Virtually all Americans. The "class" in the class-action lawsuit includes anyone who had an automobile loan, bank credit card, store credit card, finance company loan, mortgage or student loan in the U.S. between Jan. 1, 1987, and May 28, 2008.

People will be able to register for the benefits beginning June 16 at this settlement site.

TransUnion had been accused of overstepping privacy bounds when it filtered credit data to create specialized customer lists and sold them for marketing purposes. The plaintiffs alleged customers were then inundated by junk mail. TransUnion, based in Chicago, hasn't admitted any wrongdoing and says it discontinued the practice in 2001.


Trans Union Corporation Privacy Litigation Home

TransUnion keeps credit histories on 160 million Americans. Given that TransUnion sells its credit-monitoring services for $59.75 or more, the value of the settlement could top $10 billion.

More info here: http://www.newsday.com/business/ny-b...,5096607.story