Four Red Flags To Look For In A Credit Report
September 5, 2008 · Print This Article
Last week one of our clients asked me if there are any “red flags” to look for on credit reports when used in the employee screening process. I thought our readers could benefit from this so here they are…
Four Red Flags To Look For In A Credit Report:
- What are the applicant’s total monthly payments? How does this compare to the projected salary and benefits? If the total monthly payments are significantly larger than their income it may be a red flag.
- How many negative items are listed, such as late payments, collection actions, writeoffs or an account closed by the credit grantor?
- Are there any negative public records and are they related to employment? For example a tax lien may indicate someone has not paid attention to their financial affairs or is under financial stress. If there is a bankruptcy in the credit report, then the employer should NOT utilize the bankruptcy without talking to an attorney. Federal law expressly prohibits a private employer from discrimination solely on the basis of a person exercising their rights under the bankruptcy laws. Refer to 11 USC 525.
- Are there alerts from the credit agencies? Some bureaus issue fraud alerts if there is a suspicion of fraud or abuse.
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[...] On the other hand, employers may be confronted with gaps in employment on a resume or application. And while the reasons behind the gaps may be completely innocent, verifying what the candidate was doing during the lapse is essential. If neglected, employers may expose themselves to potentially disastrous consequences. Below, I’ll describe 2 reasons why gaps in employment should raise a massive red flag. [...]