Empoyers Who Request Credit Reports!!!

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I've been an unemployed RN since June, 2003 and have been doing agency work which is very sporadic here in Salt Lake City. I have been to so many job interviews that I have lost count and always I get the same response from the employers. I have excellect qualifications but we hired another candidate who was more qualified. I went to an interview workshop and the lecturer told me that I was doing all the right things on an interview. I recently found out that here in Utah, many employers do credit checks on prospective employees. An attorney friend told me that pulling a credit report is included in the background check and if you sign a release form authorizing a background check, chances are, they will pull a credit report too. He also told me that employers can deny you employment if your credit is less than perfect and since my credit is less than perfect, I'm beginning to wonder if that is why I have been unable to find a job. I think this is absolutely appalling and underhanded of prospective employers. How do you pay your bills if you are not working??? I also understand that very few states allow this practice and unfortunately, I live in a state that does. Would love to hear some comments about this nasty little practice!!!!!!!!

Originally posted by lizz

This is just a point of information. But yes, it does happen all of the time. The reason is: You've already been notified of the lawsuit and subsequent judgement. Since the bank seizure comes after that, no additional notification is required.

I've been on both sides of this. And I have seized some bank accounts, just to find others closed shortly thereafter. And, BTW, these were people who showed up in court and knew they had a judgement pending against them. They immediately closed all of their accounts as soon as the first seizure went through, because they were trying to dodge payment.

Luckily, it didn't matter much, because the first two accounts had enough of a balance to cover the outstanding judgement. Otherwise, I would have been screwed. I could have seized some property or put liens on it, but who knows how much I would have collected from that, if anything.

And I do believe those procedures do a pretty good job of protecting the innocent, so to speak.

SERIOUSELY you think they closed their accounts to dodge payment? I mean we have not good credit and are working our butts off to repair it, and with me not working right now its VERY hard. IF some of our debtors come after us judgement style, and try to put a lien on our bank account, we are SCREWED. We are a one income family with little kids to support, i'm talking BABIES. So i believe that MOST people who would be put in this situation would close their accounts because they are trying to save their collective butts and put food on the table. Not everybody is a deadbeat trying to dodge bills and screw everybody. I believe that MOST people don't want to do that, but they are in situations beyond their control and have to worry about their basic needs such as food, shelter, transportation, etc...for themselves and their families. And yes many collection agencies don't care. Plain and simple they don't care. they just want their money. :(

Melanie, Mr. D is right. Don't waste your breath. Some people think like financiers and collectors first, then people second. Those are the people with stellar credit i guess. And for the record, i used to be in collections myself, and i always was in the top 3 of collectors, because i LISTENED to people and tried to work things out that were realistic for THEM, not beneficial to me or my company.

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Well, at least one benefit of having bad credit is no one wants to steal your identity... ;)

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Originally posted by Sarah Kat

Well, at least one benefit of having bad credit is no one wants to steal your identity... ;)

LMAO! :roll :roll :roll

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Originally posted by Sarah Kat

Well, at least one benefit of having bad credit is no one wants to steal your identity... ;)

I actually thought about a business that offered "bad credit services" so that one's credit report was more/less guaranteed useless!! When YOU needed credit, you'd log via the internet and "correct" your credit record, then "maul" it again a few days later.

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Originally posted by Mr_D

I actually thought about a business that offered "bad credit services" so that one's credit report was more/less guaranteed useless!! When YOU needed credit, you'd log via the internet and "correct" your credit record, then "maul" it again a few days later.

What a great idea... but then again, it wouldn't be in the best interest of the credit bureaus, and they are the ones that matter, not us. Heaven forbid we have that much control over our credit reports...

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Originally posted by SnowymtnRN

SERIOUSELY you think they closed their accounts to dodge payment? I mean we have not good credit and are working our butts off to repair it, and with me not working right now its VERY hard. IF some of our debtors come after us judgement style, and try to put a lien on our bank account, we are SCREWED. We are a one income family with little kids to support, i'm talking BABIES. So i believe that MOST people who would be put in this situation would close their accounts because they are trying to save their collective butts and put food on the table. Not everybody is a deadbeat trying to dodge bills and screw everybody. I believe that MOST people don't want to do that, but they are in situations beyond their control and have to worry about their basic needs such as food, shelter, transportation, etc...for themselves and their families. And yes many collection agencies don't care. Plain and simple they don't care. they just want their money. :(

Whoah, you guys are really jumping to the wrong conclusions. I was trying to back off this thread, but you are so wrong it's pathetic.

I was not chasing any starving widows with children to feed. This is my collection history in a nutshell:

My biggest lawsuits involved businessmen with assets, and they weren't starving. One was a consumer fraud case, where a local businessman fraudulently advertised his equipment and services, cheating many customers, myself included. The other lawsuit involved a securities fraud case, where the guy cheated me and other investors on a business deal.

I did seize the bank accounts on the first guy (who was, in fact, dodging payment), and I put a lien on the other guy's house, so he had to pay me when he sold it three years later. Both of these guys not only ripped me off, but other people the community. Rest assured, they deserved it.

I did have a tenant who skipped out on rent, whom I successfully sued, but I didn't pursue collection once I found out he was fired. I already had the security deposit so I took a loss on the rest of it. I also had a contractor who screwed up some consulting work for my business. I sued, and once I got the judgement, he decided to pay.

Try not to jump to conclusions. If I tried to write all of the background on every little thing the posts would be ten pages long. Geez.:p

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Originally posted by RN Rotten Nurse

I worked in collections at a credit union before I became a nurse. I've been a nurse for 15 years now. It's been my experience that people that don't pay their bills and on time, generally are the same employees that are frequently tardy for work, call in ill frequently, and just basically unreliable. I can understand why employers check credit reports. If I were a business owner, I would do the same thing before hiring an employee.

Thank you.

Seems like an alternative viewpoint is not appreciated here.

But I appreciate and agree with it. ;)

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What I have learned from this post:

*Watch your spending and don't over-extend yourself.

*Make sure you are well insured, so that a catastrophic event

doesn't bankrupt you

*Put a little bit of money in a savings account each month for

emergencies - have it automatically taken out of your

paycheck each month, so you are not tempted to spend it

*If you start to get behind on bills, call your creditors and

let them know - they will sometimes let you skip a payment or

pay a lesser amount (interest only) until you are back on your

feet again.

Nurses are generally considered good credit risks because we are educated, responsible individuals, who pay our bills. However, this is what sometimes leads us to take on too much credit because it's so easy. Be careful! As we have all learned from this post, it could cost you a job or promotion!

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Originally posted by mjlrn97

Here in Oregon where I live, employers don't often do credit checks, but auto insurance companies do.......which ALSO sucks. I've been driving since I was 14, and I've never had an accident or a serious traffic offense. So why am I not offered the lowest insurance rates? Yep, you guessed it: lousy credit. Seems a safe driving record (I mean, one speeding ticket in 21 years?) doesn't make one a safe driver. In other words, you can be a hazard on the road, but if you have good credit, you get the best rates. Go figure.:o

Hey, thought you would like to know:

As of January 1st, it's now against the law in Oregon for insurance companies to use credit reports to raise premiums!

~j

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Originally posted by RN Rotten Nurse

I worked in collections at a credit union before I became a nurse. I've been a nurse for 15 years now. It's been my experience that people that don't pay their bills and on time, generally are the same employees that are frequently tardy for work, call in ill frequently, and just basically unreliable. I can understand why employers check credit reports. If I were a business owner, I would do the same thing before hiring an employee.

JMO but i think that's applying the "guilt by association" rule which is wrong. When i went to nursing school, all my friends and i were barely able to scrape by and pay tuition, much less our normal bills. I can think of 6 in my class who barely avoided bankruptcy. And now, we are ALL still paying for our mistakes. Some more than others, some harder than others. But out of us ALL, every single one of us is those nurses who show up early for work, sign up for at LEAST 2 extra shifts a pay period, volunteer for call, anything to make the extra buck to pay down the bills.

So no, i don't think that people who don't pay their bills and on time aren't those same employees. But there again, i think a credit report, no matter what the reason the employer is looking, is none of their business. Its my private personal information, not anything else. Just another way for the government to keep track of us all. :devil:

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Originally posted by SnowymtnRN

JMO but i think that's applying the "guilt by association" rule which is wrong.

True, and I agree that it is sometimes wrong. I know you think most people want to pay their debts, but that just hasn't been my experience and, I suspect, others as well.

Besides the above mentioned business examples, I've lent money over the years to three friends in dire need. All I asked is that they pay me a few bucks a month when they got back on their feet again. When they found another job or whatever, and did get back on their feet, I still had to beg for payment. Unless I hounded them to death, I never got it. I finally quit trying.

Now these were "friends," people I knew personally. And my experience isn't unique. I just visited my hairdresser, and he was complaining about how his best friend refused to pay back $3,000. It ruined their relationship.

You get so discouraged, you quit lending money, period. I have a friend who just lost his job and recently asked me for money. I do want to help, but I just can't go through the hassle and grief anymore.

The credit system may be insensitive but people, even "friends," can be very insensitive too. If you're too sensitive, you can easily go broke. I had bills to pay too but, in the end, my "friends" didn't care. Needless to say, I'm not friends with these people anymore.

After awhile, all you want to do is a credit check, because you don't believe what anybody says when it comes to money. Even people you know personally.

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Geriatrics.
Originally posted by SnowymtnRN

JMO but i think that's applying the "guilt by association" rule which is wrong. When i went to nursing school, all my friends and i were barely able to scrape by and pay tuition, much less our normal bills. I can think of 6 in my class who barely avoided bankruptcy. And now, we are ALL still paying for our mistakes. Some more than others, some harder than others. But out of us ALL, every single one of us is those nurses who show up early for work, sign up for at LEAST 2 extra shifts a pay period, volunteer for call, anything to make the extra buck to pay down the bills.

So no, i don't think that people who don't pay their bills and on time aren't those same employees. But there again, i think a credit report, no matter what the reason the employer is looking, is none of their business. Its my private personal information, not anything else. Just another way for the government to keep track of us all. :devil:

I agree completely with this. This is why I had a big problem with the statements that one's credit history is an indication of character and integrity. It is just as wrong as the statement that those with bad credit are the ones who are late to work, etc. (how could someone know that by the way?)

Oh and Mr. D, great posts by the way!

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