Credit Check: Equifax And Your Financial Future

Credit Check: Equifax And Your Financial Future

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Ever bought a car? Applied for a job? Checked your credit score? Then you’re probably in the system. The U.S. credit system. Three of the biggest credit bureaus — TransUnion, Experian and Equifax — have data on millions of Americans. And some of that data, including addresses, Social Security numbers and driver’s license numbers, has been compromised in a cyberattack on Equifax. An estimated 143 million people could be affected by the breach. Who’s minding the credit bureaus? And is there anything consumers can do to protect personal data from future hacks? We ask Michelle Singletary, syndicated columnist of “The Color of Money” for The Washington Post, Nela Richardson, chief economist for Redfin, Joseph Rubin, senior vice president of government affairs and public relations at MWW and Senator Tammy Baldwin, Democrat of Wisconsin.