Latinos Shut Out on Free Credit Reports

An unintended consequence of the government requiring each credit bureau to provide Americans with one free credit report each year is that the credit bureaus communicate in the English language. Not all Americans do. Consequently, if a person doesn't speak English, navigation through the website, Annual Credit Report, is impossible.

From KansasCity.com:

Consumers Union said it is getting calls from Latinos in the United States and in Puerto Rico asking for translation assistance to navigate the new Web site where Americans can get a free annual credit report.

The consumer organization, which publishes Consumer Reports, is asking the three big credit bureaus that operate the Web site to voluntarily make this information available in a bilingual format.

The credit agencies, Equifax, Experian and TransUnion, are not required to be bilingual so the consumer organizations are starting to apply pressure. So far, letters have been drafted to request the change. If they don't get results, I expect the consumer advocates won't stop there. Ultimately, some politician will probably get involved and pressure the system to change.

I wonder if other non-English-speaking segments of the population will demand the same concessions? There are people who speak Chinese, Russian, Vietnamese, Arabic, Portuguese and other languages in the U.S. also. They would probably like to see their credit reports.