The Hill reports: The Obama administration on Monday announced a tweak to the federal financial aid program that one official said would help “literally hundreds of thousands” of students each year. Obama and Education Secretary Arne Duncan will formally announce the change at a town hall meeting in Iowa, where they will meet with high […]
Author Archives: Allison Zieve
The Food and Drug Administration has released rules that will require U.S. food manufacturers to make detailed plans to identify and prevent possible contamination risks in food production facilities. As the Washington Post reports, "[t]he new regulations, which will apply to the production of both human and animal foods, mark the first step in a broader effort […]
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau announced yesterday: Today the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) took action against the nation’s two largest debt buyers and collectors for using deceptive tactics to collect bad debts. The Bureau found that Encore Capital Group and Portfolio Recovery Associates bought debts that were potentially inaccurate, lacking documentation, or unenforceable. Without […]
Below are recent announcements about the work of the Department of Justice Consumer Protection Branch: September 3, 2015 – Genzyme Corporation to Pay $32.5 Million to Resolve Criminal Liability Relating to Seprafilm August 27, 2015 – Peruvian Man Charged with Leading Conspiracy to Defraud and Extort Spanish-Speaking Consumers through Call Centers August 17, 2015 – […]
A California-based online entertainment network has agreed to settle Federal Trade Commission charges that it engaged in deceptive advertising by paying “influencers” to post YouTube videos endorsing Microsoft’s Xbox One system and several games. The influencers paid by Machinima, Inc., failed to adequately disclose that they were being paid for their seemingly objective opinions, the […]
The Federal Trade Commission has conducted a survey, following up on a December 2012 survey, examining what information children’s app developers are collecting from users, whom they are sharing it with, and what disclosures they are providing to parents about their practices. The findings will be announced in a series of blog posts. Here is […]
The Hill Reports that Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) and Rep. Lois Capps (D-Calif.) are pressuring automaker Fiat Chrysler to support a bill that would ban car rental companies from distributing recalled vehicles. Fiat Chrysler was recently fined $105 million by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration for allegedly failing to properly notify drivers, car dealerships and […]
The Washington Post reports: The Obama administration said Wednesday it will overhaul the loan forgiveness process for students who believe they have been defrauded by their colleges, in light of the collapse of controversial for-profit Corinthian Colleges. Students can apply to have their federal loans discharged if they can prove a school used illegal or deceptive tactics in violation […]
Target Corp has reached an agreement with Visa card issuers to reimburse up to $67 million in costs related to a data breach at Target in 2013. The breach compromised at least 40 million credit cards and may have resulted in the theft of personal information from as many as 110 million people. The Reuters […]
At the New York Times, reporter Adam Liptak writes about the Supreme Court's June decision in Reed v. Town of Gilbert and explains why what might have been an unremarkable First Amendment case may have significant consequences for a wide range of laws, including consumer protection laws. The key move in Justice Thomas’s [majority] opinion […]