Public Data from the Making Ends Meet Survey

TERMS OF SERVICE FOR ACCESS TO THE MAKING ENDS MEET SURVEY DATA

(HEREINAFTER “AGREEMENT”)

Please read these Terms of Service (“Terms of Service”) carefully as they govern the use of the Making Ends Meet (MEM) Survey data. The data including all of its content is conditioned upon the acceptance of these Terms of Service by you (“User”), without modification. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (“CFPB”) reserves any rights, privileges, or immunities not expressly granted under these Terms of Service.

This Agreement constitutes the entire Agreement between CFPB and the user concerning the subject matter hereof and may not be modified by the user. This Agreement may only be modified by the posting of a revised version on this webpage by CFPB.

Acceptance of Terms

By accessing or using any portion of the MEM Survey data, you agree to be bound by these terms and conditions. If you do not agree to these terms and conditions or do not have the authority to enter into this agreement, you may not access nor use the contents of this page or the MEM Survey data. Access to or use of CFPB’s MEM Survey data or its content constitutes acceptance of the terms and conditions of this agreement.

CFPB preserves the right, at its sole discretion, to modify or replace this agreement, in whole or in part with or without notice to you. Continued use of or access to the MEM Survey data following posting of any changes to this agreement constitutes acceptance of those modified terms. CFPB may, in the future, offer new services and/or features, such new features and/or services shall be subject to the terms and conditions of this agreement or any modifications thereof.

Scope

​ All of the content and data related to the MEM Survey is hereinafter referred to as“MEM Survey data” or “data” (made available to you through CFPB’s website (consumerfinance.gov)) is subject to the following terms and conditions.

Restrictions on Use

Absolute prohibition against correlation of MEM Survey data to individuals. Under no circumstance shall you, directly or indirectly, use, copy, modify, decompile, disassemble, scrape, cache, frame, mask, correlate, or apply any process to the MEM Survey data in order to misappropriate any information about the MEM Survey data or derive any information about or identify any particular individual, including but not limited to violation of applicable privacy laws or regulations and/or in any way that would be deemed an unlawful invasion of privacy, whether or not for personal, public, or private use of the results of such correlation. You shall comply with all federal, state, and local laws, and regulations governing the access, handling, and use of the MEM Survey data by you. Further, you shall not use any VantageScore credit score to reverse engineer any VantageScore credit score model.

You may not use CFPB’s name, logo, or trademarks in any advertising, publicity, or any other commercial manner without the express written consent of CFPB. You will use and include applicable trademarks and logos of the VantageScore credit scores and/or credit score models in all materials that reference such credit scores and/or credit score models and in a manner that complies with the VantageScore trademark policy and brand guidelines published at https://www.vantagescore.com/press/.

You shall not remove, alter, cover, or distort any trademark or other proprietary rights notice placed by CFPB in or on the MEM Survey data, and will ensure that all such notices are reproduced on all copies of the MEM Survey data made by you; provided, however, that you will not be required to attach a copyright notice to any individual element or factor or other data that you may reproduce. You shall ensure that either a copy of this agreement is transmitted to or incorporated into any agreement with any recipient of the MEM Survey data should you repackage, modify, or distribute MEM Survey data.

Citing Data

CFPB does not attest to nor vouch for the quality, accuracy, or timeliness of the data, or any use or analyses conducted therefrom with the data. Users may not claim that analyses from the MEM Survey data represent the CFPB’s views.

In citing to or using MEM Survey data, CFPB’s logo may not be used on products (including web pages) that are not CFPB-sponsored without the express written consent of CFPB. Users should cite the data source appropriately, such as: Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). (Year). Making Ends Meet Public Use File. [Dataset]. URL

Modification or False Representation of Content

Users may not falsely represent MEM Survey data accessed through consumerfinance.gov and still cite the source as CFPB.

Right to Limit

Use of the MEM Survey data is subject to certain limitations or restrictions on access or use as set forth within this Agreement or otherwise provided by CFPB from time to time. If CFPB reasonably believes that a user has attempted to exceed or circumvent these limits or restrictions, that user's access to the MEM Survey data, at the sole discretion of CFPB, may be permanently or temporarily blocked.

Service Termination

If a user wishes to terminate this Agreement as it applies prospectively, he or she may do so by refraining from further use of the MEM Survey data. CFPB reserves the right (though not the obligation) to: (1) refuse to provide access to the MEM Survey data to a user, if CFPB determines, in CFPB’s sole discretion, that such use violates this Agreement, federal or state law, or any CFPB policy; or (2) terminate or deny a user’s access to and use of all or part of the MEM Survey data at any time for any other reason in its sole discretion. All provisions of this Agreement shall survive termination with respect to data already accessed, including, without limitation, warranty disclaimers, indemnity, and limitations of liability.

Disclaimers

Disclaimer

CFPB takes reasonable measures to ensure the accuracy and quality of the data and other information produced by CFPB in connection with its statutory duties and the MEM Survey. For more information on CFPB’s Information Quality Guidelines, click here. However, CFPB makes no warranty, express or implied, nor assumes any responsibility for the accuracy, correctness, or completeness of any information that is available through the MEM Survey data, nor represents that its authorized (as set forth herein) use would not infringe upon or misappropriate privately-owned rights or the intellectual property rights of any third party. As the user, you assume the entire risk related to your use of the MEM Survey data, including your use of any updates to the MEM Survey data. Consumerfinance.gov services including the MEM Survey data are provided “as is” and on an “as available” basis. CFPB hereby disclaims all warranties of any kind, express or implied, including without limitation, the warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and non-infringement. CFPB makes no warranty that the MEM Survey data will be error free or that access thereto will be continuous or uninterrupted.

In no event will CFPB be liable to users or any third party for any direct, indirect, incidental, consequential, special, or exemplary damages, or lost profit related to the MEM Survey data, including the use or inability to use or access the MEM Survey data, the use of data embodied or obtained from the MEM Survey data, or the use of any documentation or other information or materials (if any) accompanying the MEM Survey data. Therefore, users should: (1) rely on the user’s own inquiries as to the accuracy and relevance of the data presented in the MEM Survey data; (2) not use the MEM Survey data, including the output, as the basis for making any decision or embarking on any course of action; and (3) be aware that the data contained in the MEM Survey and the output of the MEM Survey data should not be regarded as representative of any current data or forecasts of what will happen or what has occurred under a given set of conditions. Users may not use or modify the MEM Survey data and then present the result as official CFPB or U.S. Government material, opinion, or policy.

Non-Endorsement

Reference to any specific commercial product, process, or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise, does not constitute an endorsement, a recommendation, or a favoring by the U.S. Government or CFPB.

Non-CFPB Information

For convenience and informational purposes only, CFPB may provide links to other or non-governmental websites. When you click a link to an outside website, the privacy and security policies of that website apply. These websites may contain information that is copyrighted with restrictions on reuse. Permission to use copyrighted materials or information must be obtained from the original source and may not be obtained from CFPB. CFPB does not control or guarantee the accuracy, relevance, timeliness, or completeness of any linked information, and therefore CFPB is not responsible for the content of external websites linked to or referenced from consumerfinance.gov. CFPB makes no claims or guarantees about the accuracy and completeness of external data connected to this website, and expressly disclaims liability for errors or omissions. CFPB neither endorses the information, content, presentation, or accuracy, nor makes any warranty, express or implied, regarding these external websites. Users should be aware that when they select a link on consumerfinance.gov to an external website, they are leaving consumerfinance.gov.

Limitation of Liability

In no event will CFPB be liable with respect to any subject matter of this agreement, including but not limited to the downloading of MEM Survey data or materials. This disclaimer of liability includes any liability asserted under any contract, negligence, strict liability, or other legal or equitable theory for: (1) any special, incidental, or consequential damages; (2) the cost of procurement of substitute products or services; or (3) interruption of use, loss, or corruption of the MEM Survey data.

General Representations

The user hereby warrants that: (1) the use of the data will be in strict accordance with this agreement, consumerfinance.gov’s Privacy Policy​, and all applicable laws and regulations; and (2) the data will not be used in any manner that infringes upon or misappropriates the intellectual property rights of any third party or any privately-owned rights.

Indemnity

The user agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the U.S. Government, CFPB, its Director, employees, contractors, agents, and the like from and against any and all claims and causes of action, and related injuries, damages, liabilities, judgments, and settlements (including costs and reasonable attorneys’ fees), arising out of or related to the downloading, receipt, use, sale, or distribution of MEM Survey data, including without limitation, the accuracy of the MEM Survey data and violations of this agreement. This Indemnification clause shall not apply to Federal government users.

Governing Law

This agreement shall be governed by and construed by federal law. The user is solely responsible for compliance with privacy-related federal, state and local laws, and regulations governing the access, handling, and use of the MEM Survey data by user.

No Waiver of Rights

CFPB’s failure to exercise or enforce any right or provision of this agreement shall not constitute waiver of such right or provision. Any waiver by either party of a breach of any provision of this agreement must be in writing. No waiver will be effective unless in writing, is signed by an authorized representative of the party against which enforcement of the waiver is sought. Neither the failure of either party to exercise any right of termination, nor the waiver of any default will constitute a waiver of the rights granted in this Agreement with respect to any subsequent or other default.