Cuomo asks credit bureaus not to slam Sandy victims for late payments

Gov. Andrew Cuomo Thursday called upon credit bureaus to not penalize New Yorkers who were late in paying credit cards, mortgages and other bills because of superstorm Sandy.

“It would be a terrible injustice if a victim of Hurricane Sandy was unfairly penalized by a lower credit score,” Cuomo said during a news conference in Manhattan. “It would literally add insult to injury.”

Cuomo has asked the three major credit bureaus -- Equifax, Trans Union and Experian -- along with the Consumer Data Industry Association and the credit score company FICO to meet with state officials to discuss how the companies will ensure that New Yorkers will not be penalized for missed payments as they recover from the storm.

"We will have a good robust dialogue," said state Financial Services Superintendent Benjamin M. Lawsky.

Cuomo and Lawsky urged storm victims to check their credit scores and contact the state Department of Finance if they feel the score numbers have been lowered unfairly.