Last Wednesday, the EEOC held a public meeting at which it took testimony to address the perceived ills associated with the use of applicant credit histories in making hiring or other employment decisions. With unemployment at such high levels across the country, employer credit checks have come under greater scrutiny. Back in August, Illinois enacted the Employee Credit Privacy Act, which prohibits, with limited exception, an employer from using a person’s credit history in making employment decisions. 

As we reported last year, Ohio’s legislature considered a credit check ban as well, but that bill went nowhere. The EEOC’s press release can be accessed here and the panelist statements can be accessed here.