Which of the following is a permissible purpose for obtaining a consumer report?

• A. For marketing purposes
• B. Court order
• C. Personal reasons
• D. To determine loan eligibility based on speculation

Answer: (B)

Permissible purposes are specific, legally recognized reasons to pull a consumer report. A court order is one of those clear purposes because it is part of a legal process and authorizes disclosure to the party or entity named in the order. This allows the court or an involved party to access necessary financial information to resolve a case.

The other options don’t fit because marketing typically requires the consumer’s explicit, separate consent for that use, and personal reasons aren’t a defined, legitimate business purpose for pulling a report. Determining loan eligibility must be based on an actual, legitimate credit decision with proper authorization; making a decision “based on speculation” isn’t a valid permissible purpose under the rule governing consumer reports.