Author Archives: Jeff Sovern

CONFERENCE ANNOUNCEMENT AND CALL FOR PAPERS: 25 Years of the International Association of Consumer Law

We received the following announcement: Consumer Protection and Economic Development July 16th to July 19th, 2017; Porto Alegre (UFRGS), Brazil The Conference celebrating the 25th year of IACL will begin an Opening Session with its Founders, on the Sunday of July 16th, 2017, from 5PM to 8PM, and a Welcome Cocktail. The Conference will run from Monday, […]

Something I’m Wondering About: Are Consumers Ever Better Off by Paying Time-Barred Debts?

by Jeff Sovern Consumers have no legal obligation to pay time-barred debts and suing on such a debt or threatening to sue on one violates the FDCPA.  But are consumers ever better off, aside from feeling better for meeting their obligations, by paying such debts?  When a statute of limitations is less than seven years, as is […]

USA Today Editorial: Rogue Debt Collectors

Here.  Excerpt: While ACA maintains that its 3,500 members have "long been committed to making debt collection a more consumer-friendly experience," its idea of friendly stretches credulity. While the consumer bureau has proposed that collectors limit phone attempts to reach debtors to six a week, the ACA's idea was quite different — to limit "collection call attempts to no more […]

American Banker: Trump’s Call to Freeze New Banking Regs Would Be Tough to Deliver

Here (free access).  Excerpt: Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump called for a temporary suspension of all new federal regulations during a speech Tuesday, but even if he wins the White House, stalling or rolling back financial rules may prove to be beyond his reach. * * * "I don't think a full-on moratorium is even […]

Fed’s Call for Papers: Financial Innovation: Online Lending to Households and Small Businesses

We received the following call for papers: The Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System is hosting a research and policy conference on Financial Innovation: Online Lending to Households and Small Businesses, to be held in Washington, DC on December 2, 2016. The purpose of the conference is to bring together academics, industry participants, […]

Article on Incentivizing Greater Data Security

Richard Warner of Chicago-Kent and Robert H. Sloan of the University of Illinois at Chicago's Computer Science Department have written Defending Our Data: The Need for Information We Do Not Have. Here's the abstract: Data breaches occur at the rate of over two a day. The aggregate social cost is high. Security experts have long […]

More From Max Helveston: Consumer Protection in the Age of Big Data

Max N. Helveston of DePaul has written Consumer Protection in the Age of Big Data, 93 Washington University Law Review (2016). Here is the abstract: The Big Data revolution is upon us. Technological advances in the degree to which third parties can record information about individuals, along with increases in the use of predictive analytics, are transforming […]

Helveston Article: Regulating Digital Markets

Max N. Helveston of DePaul has written Regulating Digital Markets, NYU Journal of Law & Business, Forthcoming. Here is the abstract: It has become popular for scholars and non-academic commentators to claim that technological advances have reshaped consumer markets and empowered individuals. Some have argued that the digitization of commerce has leveled the playing field […]

CALL FOR PAPERS FOR THE AALS SECTION ON DEFAMATION AND PRIVACY 2017 ANNUAL MEETING PROGRAM

We have received the following Call for Papers: The AALS Section on Defamation and Privacy is pleased to announce a Call for Papers from which one presenter will be selected for the Section’s program at the 2017 AALS Annual Meeting in San Francisco, CA.  The program will take place on Friday, January 6, from 8:30 […]

Szalai Article on the Federal Arbitration Act’s History

Imre S. Szalai of Loyola of New Orleans has written Exploring the Federal Arbitration Act Through the Lens of History, Journal of Dispute Resolution, Vol. 2016, No. 1 (2016).  Here's the abstract: My initial interest in the history of the Federal Arbitration Act (FAA) arose out of my experiences representing clients and seeing how the FAA […]