Author Archives: Allison Zieve

DC’s $4 million settlement with predatory online lender will compensate thousands of District consumers

District of Columbia Attorney General Karl Racine today announced that Elevate Credit, Inc., predatory online lender, will pay at least $3.3 million to refund over 2,500 District consumers who were misleadingly marketed high-cost loans and lines of credit, waive over $300,000 in interest owed by those consumers, and pay $450,000 to the District. The company […]

Recent news on student loan debt and debt forgiveness

ABC reports that "Over 70,000 student borrowers have qualified for debt forgiveness since the Education Department overhauled the program last fall. But another deadline is looming." While CNBC reports that "Majority of borrowers say taking on federal student loan debt is not worth it." Also from a CNBC survey, "Most Americans want Biden to prioritize […]

New Experian tool will let consumers create their own credit reports

Experian is introducing a program that will allow consumers to create their own credit reports from scratch, the Wall Street Journal reports (subscription required). Fast Company explains: “The program, called Go, will involve customers linking ‘recurring nondebt bills’ (think cell phone payments, utility bills, or even bank accounts just generally) to provide the foundation on […]

CFPB request for information on fees imposed by providers of consumer financial products

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau today issued a request for information as it considers reducing “exploitative junk fees charged by banks and financial companies.” As examples of the fees it is examining, the agency lists “back-end fees might obscure the true cost of a product and undermine a competitive market,” such as “resort” or “service” […]

CFPB to examine colleges’ in-house lending practices

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau will be examining the operations of post-secondary schools, such as for-profit colleges, that extend private loans directly to students. The agency explained: "The CFPB is issuing an update to its exam procedures including a new section on institutional student loans. As the CFPB begins its supervision, the exam procedures inform […]