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Thanks to privacy laws, consumers like us have the rights to restrict companies from passing our personal and financial information with their affiliates and companies that they do business with.  Just the other day, HSBC sent me a letter asking me to respond by checking the check box besides the two following statements if I didn’t want junk mail originated from them.

1. NO, please do not share personal and financial information with your affiliated companies.
2. NO, please do not share personal and financial information with outside companies you contract with to provide financial products and services.

At the end of the letter, it even gives you three options to reply

1. Fill out, sign and send back this form to us using the envelope provided
2. Call this toll-free number: 1-877-394-HSBC (1-877-394-4722) and select option 2
3. Reply electronically by contacting us through the following Internet address: us.hsbc.com/californiaprivacy

It was great of them to provide the internet option because it was by far the easiest and fastest way to respond. If there are any complaints, it would be that a response is needed to decline sharing of our information. As it stands now, HSBC can freely our information to companies that want our business if we didn’t get the notice or didn’t bother to reply.

Speaking of junk mail, there are actually many companies that sell our information to different businesses. If you want to drastically reduce your junk mail, send each of the following companies a letter asking to be placed in their name removal file and off their telemarketing lists. The more information you can provide them about yourself, the more success you will have.

Advo Incorporated
Delivery Services
1001 W. Walnut Street
Compton, CA 90220-5191

Direct Marketing Association
Attn: Customer Service Opt Out
1120 Avenue of the Americas
New York, NY 10036-6700

Experian Consumer Sevices
List Maintenance
901 West Bond
Lincoln, NE 68521

infoUSA, Inc.
5711 S. 86th Circle
Omaha, NE 68127-0347

Acxiom Corporation
Opt-Outs
P.O. Box 2000
Conway, AR 72033-2000

Trans Union LLC
Name Removal Option
P.O. Box 97328
Jackson, MS 39288-7328

LEXIS-NEXIS
9393 Springboro Pike
P.O. Box 933
Dayton, OH 45401

National Demographics & Lifestyles
Customer Service Department
1621 18th Street, #300
Denver, CO 80202

Experian Consumer Services
List Maintenance
901 West Bond
Lincoln, NE 68521

The last company (Experian Consumer Services) is especially important because it will drastically cut down the number of credit card offers that you get through the mail!

I know it’s a tedious process to mail to so many companies but imagine the amount of time that you’ve spent cutting up and throwing out junk mail!