A Comparison of the Readability of Privacy Statements of Banks, Credit Counseling Companies, And Check Cashing Companies (Report‪)‬

INTRODUCTION In 1999 the U.S. Congress enacted the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (GLBA), also known as the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Financial Services Modernization Act. GLBA repealed the Glass-Steagall Act, which greatly restricted the financial services banks or other financial institutions could offer. For example, with the ratification of GLBA, commercial and investment banks were permitted to consolidate (Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act, n.d.). Among the businesses included in the act were those involved with lending, brokering or servicing any type of consumer loan, transferring or safeguarding money, preparing individual tax returns, providing financial advice or credit counseling, providing residential real estate settlement services, and collecting consumer debts (Privacy Initiatives, n.d.). Although the GLBA addressed a wide array of topics, central to the act is the protection of personal information of customers and clients ("Fact Sheet 24," 2007). Title V of the act deals specifically with privacy.