---
kind: "section"
citation: "15 U.S.C. § 1679a"
title: "15"
title_heading: "Commerce and Trade"
number: "1679a"
heading: "Definitions"
release: "119-102"
date: "2026-07-12"
url: "https://uscodex.org/usc/15/1679a"
units:
  - "Chapter 41 — Consumer Credit Protection"
  - "Subchapter II–A — Credit Repair Organizations"
---

# §1679a. Definitions


For purposes of this subchapter, the following definitions apply:

- (1) **Consumer—** The term “consumer” means an individual.
- (2) **Consumer credit transaction—** The term “consumer credit transaction” means any transaction in which [credit](#4) is offered or extended to an individual for personal, family, or household purposes.
- (3) **Credit repair organization—** The term “credit repair organization”—
  - (A) means any [person](/usc/15/1602.md?p=e) who uses any instrumentality of interstate commerce or the mails to sell, provide, or perform (or represent that such [person](/usc/15/1602.md?p=e) can or will sell, provide, or perform) any service, in return for the payment of money or other valuable consideration, for the express or implied purpose of—
    - (i) improving any [consumer](#1)’s [credit](#4) record, [credit](#4) history, or [credit](#4) rating; or
    - (ii) providing advice or assistance to any [consumer](#1) with regard to any activity or service described in [clause (i)](#3-A-i); and
  - (B) does not include—
    - (i) any nonprofit [organization](/usc/15/1602.md?p=d) which is exempt from taxation under [section 501(c)(3) of title 26](/usc/26/501.md?p=c-3);
    - (ii) any [creditor](/usc/15/1602.md?p=g) (as defined in [section 1602 of this title](/usc/15/1602.md)), with respect to any [consumer](#1), to the extent the [creditor](/usc/15/1602.md?p=g) is assisting the [consumer](#1) to restructure any debt owed by the [consumer](#1) to the [creditor](/usc/15/1602.md?p=g); or
    - (iii) any depository institution (as that term is defined in [section 1813 of title 12](/usc/12/1813.md)) or any Federal or [State](/usc/15/1602.md?p=s) [credit](#4) union (as those terms are defined in [section 1752 of title 12](/usc/12/1752.md)), or any affiliate or subsidiary of such a depository institution or [credit](#4) union.
- (4) **Credit—** The term “credit” has the meaning given to such term in [section 1602(e)](/usc/15/1602.md?p=e)[^1] of this title.

## Footnotes

[^1]: See References in Text note below.

## Source credit

(Pub. L. 90–321, title IV, § 403, as added Pub. L. 104–208, div. A, title II, § 2451, Sept. 30, 1996, 110 Stat. 3009–455.)

## Notes

### Editorial Notes

### References in Text

Section 1602(e) of this title, referred to in par. (4), was redesignated section 1602(f) of this title by Pub. L. 111–203, title X, § 1100A(1)(A), July 21, 2010, 124 Stat. 2107.

### Prior Provisions

For a prior section 403 of Pub. L. 90–321, see note set out under section 1679 of this title.

### Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

### Effective Date

Section applicable after the end of the 6-month period beginning on Sept. 30, 1996, except with respect to contracts entered into by a credit repair organization before the end of such period, see section 413 of Pub. L. 90–321, as added by Pub. L. 104–208, set out as a note under section 1679 of this title.