>From working for a financial institution, I know that by law, if your credit is checked and you are refused credit, the company must notify you of the reason and the source of the information which denied you credit. As long as your address is correct, you should be receiving those notices (if in fact you were ever denied credit). You can also opt-out so you don't receive any unsolicited credit offers. I think you are correct that you have to pay a fee to a company which will notify you whenever your credit is checked (it is an additional service and not required by law). Or you can put a security freeze on your information which is better (and free), but you must remove it if you want to receive credit from a 3rd party:
>
>https://www.econsumer.equifax.com/consumer/sitepage.ehtml?forward=elearning_credit15#security

Just look at the default state of affairs:

- anyone can collect data about your financial status and sell them. They may have to be registered somewhere and may be regulated, but you don't necessarily know who they are.

- they don't have to tell you a thing, as long as they give you a clean bill of financial health.

- anyone can buy those data and include you into their target list

- AFAIK, the only time you are aware of this is when you want to apply for an apartment lease, then the leasing office charges you some $35 (as of 2004, don't know about now) for the credit check

- you can opt out but you first have to be aware of all this, including the availability of this out option, which I haven't seen advertised anywhere. Actually heard about it now from you.

I don't mind banks sending me their funny papers. The sample cards are excellent as handy spatulas. I've used them for many purposes - as bookmarks, for cleaning up the table before applying the duster, as letter openers, even as a spatula for grouting. And the papers these were glued to are a great educational resource: they remind me why I don't have a credit card and why I don't want to have one. The amount of text in 6pt font is sufficient incentive for me to find the shortest trajectory to the recycle bin.

Oh I thought this was "got to love these banks" thread. Never mind :).