Author Archives: Allison Zieve

FTC and Florida take action against robocall ring that pitched worthless credit card rate-reduction programs

The Federal Trade Commission announced today that, in a case filed by it and the Florida Office of the Attorney General, a federal district court judge has entered eight orders against an intertwined web of Orlando-based individuals and companies that bombarded consumers with illegal robocalls from “Card Member Services,” pitching worthless credit card interest rate […]

Department of Education considers delaying two important regulations

Politico reports today that the Department of Education is considering delaying two rules that are scheduled to go into effect on July 1 — the borrower defense rule, which concerns student loans, and the gainful employment rules, which cuts off federal funding for for-profit colleges that provide students with more debt than benefit. The article […]

Massachusetts obtains judgment voiding hundreds of illegal loans to consumers in case against online auto title lender

Hundreds of illegal loans made to Massachusetts consumers by an unlicensed online auto title lender are now void pursuant to a judgment announced today by the Massachusetts Attorney General's office. The company has also been permanently barred from operating in Massachusetts, and liens they placed on vehicles have been dissolved with new titles issued to […]

FTC and Florida halt “massive debt relief scam”

The FTC reports: At the request of the Federal Trade Commission and the State of Florida, a federal court has temporarily halted a massive phony debt relief operation that bilked tens of millions of dollars from financially strapped consumers, including the elderly and disabled. According to the FTC and Florida, Jeremy Lee Marcus, Craig Davis […]

DC Circuit to re-hear challenge to CFPB tomorrow

On Wednesday, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit will hear argument in a case challenging the constitutionality of the structure of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. The question is whether the provision of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform Act that created the CFPB violates separation-of-powers principles because it provides that the CFPB […]

Congress considers bill to make protecting consumers more difficult

Mother Jones reports; Earlier this year, White House Chief Strategist Steve Bannon said the Trump administration will be fighting regulations at every turn through "the deconstruction of the administrative state." The Regulatory Accountability Act, dubbed the "License to Kill bill" by some environmental groups, may kick off that trend by making reining in the industry […]