Author Archives: Allison Zieve

Bill would clarify when food is too old to eat

Legislation announced Wednesday by Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and Rep. Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) aims to put an end to consumer uncertainty about whether or not their food is safe to eat. With the Food Date Labeling Act, they have proposed standardized language for retail packaging: “Best if used by” to indicate peak quality for shelf-stable foods, and […]

Hearing on Telephone Consumer Protection Act

The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation held a hearing yesterday entitled “The Telephone Consumer Protection Act at 25: Effects on Consumers and Business.” The committee website described the topic as: The hearing will examine the Telephone Consumer Protection Act of 1991 (TCPA), an enacted bill that requires solicitors to maintain a “Do Not […]

One-in-five auto-title loan borrowers have vehicle seized for failing to repay debt

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau report finds that one-in-five borrowers who take out a single-payment auto title loan have their car or truck seized by their lender for failing to repay their debt. According to the report, more than four-in-five of these loans are renewed the day they are due because borrowers cannot afford to […]

CFPB sues payday lender over deceptive practices

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau filed suit this week against All American Check Cashing, Inc., which offers check cashing and payday loans, and its owner, for allegedly tricking and trapping consumers. The complaint alleges that All American tried to keep consumers from learning how much they would be charged to cash a check and used […]

Court of Appeals reinstates class action against Dept of Education over student-loan discharge

The Second Circuit Court of Appeals held yesterday that a class-action lawsuit against the Department of Education by former students of a now-defunct for-profit beauty school can proceed. The students sued the Department for aggressive collection tactics against students who likely had the right to discharge their loans.   Courthouse News offers this summary:     Former […]

Majority of consumers misled by “natural” food labels

A recent Consumer Reports survey of 1,005 adults found that more than half of consumers seek out foods with the word "natural" on the label, often in the false belief that the foods were produced without genetically modified organisms, hormones, pesticides, or artificial ingredients. But on food labels, the word does not necessarily mean any […]

Banks plan to offer lower-rate “payday” loans

Think Progress reports that traditional are planning to jump into the market for low-rate loans after the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau finalizes rules on payday and auto title lending. Relying on an American Banker article (subscription required), it says that at least three major American banks are planning to offer comparable loans at far lower […]