Author Archives: Jeff Sovern

Politico: CORDRAY WANTS TO STAY

Report here.  Here's what it says:  POLITICO's Lorraine Woellert: "Richard Cordray 'has no plans' to leave the top job at the CFPB, the agency said today. 'Director Cordray was confirmed by a bipartisan group of 66 senators to serve a term until July 2018 and has no plans to step down,' CFPB Communications Director Jen […]

How the FTC Demonstrates Why We Need a Strong, Independent, Pro-Consumer CFPB

by Jeff Sovern The FTC is a terrific agency that has done a lot of good for consumers.  Every FTC staffer I've ever met has impressed me as dedicated to consumer welfare, hard-working, and talented.  And yet, the FTC could do more if it weren't hamstrung by precisely the limits the financial industry and the […]

House “Freedom Caucus” Asks Trump to Kill CFPB Proposed Arbitration Rule; Is Freedom Just Another Word for Tricking/Trapping Consumers?

WSJ report here (behind paywall). The Caucus consists of 40 members.  The article reports that they seek rollback of 200 rules, but they anticipate that the number will rise. 

Klonoff: A Respite from the Decline in Class Actions

Robert H. Klonoff of Lewis & Clark has written Class Actions Part II: A Respite from the Decline.  Here is the abstract: In a 2013 article, I explained that the Supreme Court and federal circuits had cut back significantly on plaintiffs' ability to bring class actions. As I explain in the present article, that trend […]

Am. Banker: Trump vs. Cordray: The Battle Ahead

Here (free content). The entire article is worth a read, but here are some highlights: J.W. Verret, an associate law professor at George Mason University School of Law, listed some reasons why he thinks Cordray could be removed for cause: allegations of employee discrimination and retaliation at the CFPB, and a settlement with auto lender Ally Financial that some […]

Am. Banker: CFPB on Collision Course with Trump’s Justice Department

Here.  Excerpt: * * * Title X of the Dodd-Frank Act * * * gives the agency explicit authority to pursue its own litigation up to and including the Circuit Court level. But when it comes to the Supreme Court, the law says the CFPB must first file a written request to the U.S. Attorney General […]

Progressive Magazine Tackles Arbitration Clauses

Here. Excerpt: On Monday, September 12, Fultz was summoned to a meeting with the human resources manager at her company, EGS Customer Care. She was given a form and told she needed to sign it. The form, titled “Agreement to Arbitrate,” bore the name of EGS’s parent company, Alorica. It pledged employees to resolve all […]