Author Archives: Adam Pulver

NYC proposes own “click-to-cancel” rule

In 2024, the FTC finalized its “click-to-cancel” rule, which tried to make it as easy for consumers to cancel their enrollment in recurring subscriptions ias it was to sign up.  In 2025, the Eighth Circuit vacated that rule on notice-and-comment grounds. Today, New York City’s Department of Consumer and Worker Protection proposed its own version […]

3rd Circuit buys Kalshi’s “performative sleight” that it is not a gambling site

Kalshi, the website that allows people to bet on pretty much anything, is engaged in a high-profile marketing and public affairs campaign to insist why it is *not* a gambling or betting site. One reason may be to avoid the stigma that surrounds gambling and the predatory nature of the industry. But another reason is […]

Tenth Circuit Grants Rehearing En Banc re Interest Rate Caps and State Banks

The Depository Institutions Deregulation and Monetary Control Act of 1980 (DIDA) sets a national standard for interest rates that state-chartered banks may charge on loans, preempting state laws that cap interest at lower rates.  The statute expressly authorizes states to opt out of the national standard for “loans made in such State.”  In 2023, Colorado announced […]

Consumers’ antitrust and unfair competition suit against AAA to go ahead

Last year, four consumers who were parties to arbitration agreements in which the sole choice of forum for dispute resolution was the American Arbitration Association sued the company under the Sherman and Clayton Antitrust acts, the Arizona Constitution, and state antitrust and unfair and deceptive practices laws. They alleged monopolistic practices, and that “the AAA […]

NY court finds ban on paper-statement fees unconstitutional

New York’s General Business Law section 399-zzz, enacted in 2011, prohibits businesses from charging extra fees to pay by mail or to receive a billing statement — but does not prohibit such businesses from ” offering consumers a credit or other incentive to elect a specific payment or billing option.” Customers of TD Bank sued […]

NYC Issues New Rule Against Predatory Debt Collection

Touting it as containing “the strongest protections in the country against debt collector harassment,” New York City’s Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (DCWP) yesterday published its “Stopping Harassment and Intimidation and Ensuring Lawful Debt (SHIELD) Collection Rule.”  According to DCWP, the rule “allow[s] New Yorkers to dispute their debt at any time, further limiting […]

Administration considering requiring citizenship verification for banking

As part of its campaign to make America cruel again, the Trump Administration is reportedly considering an executive order that would require banks to verify citizenship information of current and future customers.  The reports do not indicate the legal authority that the Administration would rely upon, or what problem this requirement would be addressing. Such […]

District court rejects challenge to application of TILA and RESPA to PACE financing

Several states have adopted laws creating Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) financing systems for certain residential energy and home improvement projects. Under these programs, a homeowner borrows money to finance the project, and the loan is repaid through an assessment on the homeowner’s property tax bill. The lender’s lien generally has priority over mortgage liens, […]

Fourth Circuit Clarifies Rules on Pre-Discovery Class Certification Decisions

In Oliver v. Navy Federal Credit Union, decided today, the Fourth Circuit clarified both the procedure and substantive standards that govern when defendants ask a court to deny class certification before discovery. Oliver was a putative class action challenging Navy Federal’s underwriting process for loan applicants as racially discriminatory. Navy Federal moved to dismiss under Rule […]

En Banc Fifth Circuit Challenge to DOT Airline Consumer Rules Ends With A Fizzle

In October, I posted about the Fifth Circuit’s curious grant of rehearing en banc in a challenge to the Department of Transportation’s 2024 Rule requiring airlines to disclose ancillary fees.  The panel had left a stay of the rule in place, directing the agency to address certain notice and comment issues on remand–but at the […]