As defined under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), a party that, for a fee or other benefit, regularly collects and disseminates information about consumers to evaluate the consumer's credit worthiness or other characteristics. Examples include credit bureaus, private investigators, collection agencies and detective agencies. The FCRA imposes several requirements on consumer reporting agencies.

For more information, see Practice Notes, Background Checks and References: The Fair Credit Reporting Act and the Use of Third-Party Providers and US Privacy and Data Security Law: Overview: FCRA and FACTA.