Banks and other lenders will be prohibited from using medical debt information in credit reports, under a new rule finalized by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), the agency said Tuesday.

Credit reports are tally sheets that list a person’s assets and debts, and often are accompanied by an overall score, which banks and other lenders use to determine if a loan applicant is eligible for a mortgage or loan. Credit reports are created by three credit bureaus, Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion, which are private companies that make money by charging fees for the reports.

Adrianne Appel writes regulatory news, policy, and trends for Compliance Week. She previously reported about policy developments for Bloomberg Law and Bloomberg Government. Email: adrianne.appel@complianceweek.com LinkedIn:...