The May Department Stores Company; Proposed Consent Agreement With Analysis To Aid Public Comment

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In settlement of alleged violations of federal law prohibiting unfair or deceptive acts or practices and unfair methods of competition, this consent agreement, accepted subject to final Commission approval, would require, among other things, the St. Louis- based company to cease unwarranted collection activity on certain acquired credit card accounts, to correct the inaccurate or obsolete credit data it sent to credit reporting agencies about these accounts, and to take steps to ensure that the information maintained and reported with respect to the acquired accounts is accurate. May would also be prohibited from sending credit cards to consumers except: (1) In response to an oral or written request or application for the card, or (2) as a renewal of, or substitute for, an accepted credit card. The Consent Agreement settles allegations that, as an example, in converting its Thalhimer's customers' credit card accounts to Hecht's accounts, May's conversion process transferred obsolete derogatory information to the new accounts. The conversion process also allegedly led to the inaccurate reporting of payments and other negative data and to the initiation of collection activity against