WPF submits comments to CFPB about the Universal Mortgage Identifier number and Home Mortgage Disclosure Act The World Privacy Forum has recommended privacy controls for a proposed Universal Home Mortgage Identifier number, along with other privacy protections to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau in public comments on the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act. The CFPB recognizes

The World Privacy Forum submitted comments to the Securities and Exchange Commission today requesting that the SEC do more to protect the privacy of consumers’ asset information. Asset information — the financial information attached to mortgages, car loans, and other consumer borrowing activities– is very attractive to the consumer data industry. We would be happier with the current SEC proposal if it were practical to keep all sensitive asset-level data under the direct control of the Commission or, perhaps, the Consumer Finance Protection Bureau. Direct involvement by a federal agency, while no guarantee of a better outcome for data subjects, would provide better and clearer accountability for maintenance of the data as well as the possibility of meaningful enforcement.

In 2012, the US Federal Trade Commission brought a remarkable case against Equifax for selling consumer financial information — which included credit scores and late mortgage payment information– to companies offering services to consumers in financial distress. The World Privacy Forum commented to the FTC on this case, which was important for a number of reasons.

01/30/2012 Consumer financial protection — WPF filed comments with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau today asking it to make its consumer complaints database available for research.

The World Privacy Forum appreciates the opportunity to submit comments to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s (CFPB) proposed policy statement about the CFPB’s proactive disclosure of credit card complaint data. The proposed statement appeared in the Federal Register on December 8, 2011 at 76 Federal Register 76628, http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR- 2011-12-08/pdf/2011-31153.pdf and at https://www.federalregister.gov/articles/2011/12/08/2011-31153/disclosure-of-certain-credit- card-complaint-data.