Author Archives: Jeff Sovern

Todd Zywicki on Network Branded Prepaid Cards

Todd J. Zywicki of George Mason has written The Economics and Regulation of Network Branded Prepaid Cards. Here is the abstract: General-purpose reloadable prepaid cards have been one of the fastest-growing sectors of the consumer payments marketplace in recent years. Their importance has accelerated as a consequence of new regulations enacted in the wake of […]

WaPo Reports Obama to Re-Nominate Cordray to Head CFPB

by Jeff Sovern Here.  I have seen reports that Cordray might seek the Ohio governorship, even that he might leave the CFPB directorship before his recess appointment expires at the end of this year to that end, but perhaps this indicates that he will stay at the Bureau.  I wonder if this is a pro […]

Paper on Add-ons to Consumer Products and Services and Behavioral Economics

Tom Baker of Penn and Peter Siegelman of Connecticut have written Protecting Consumers from Add-On Insurance Products: New Lessons for Insurance Regulation from Behavioral Economics. Here's the abstract: Persistently high profits on “insurance” for small value losses sold as an add-on to other products or services (such as extended warranties sold with consumer electronics, loss […]

Paper on the Foreclosure Crisis in Appalachia

Jenna Rosie Tighe of Appalachian State has written Responding to the Foreclosure Crisis in Appalachia: A Policy Review and Survey of Housing Counselors, 23 Housing Policy Debate No. 1 (2013). Here's the abstract: Existing research on the foreclosure crisis tends to focus on national trends or on metropolitan areas. Few studies focus on rural areas, […]

Paper on Payment Card Security Measures

Edward A. Morse of Creighton and Vasant Raval of Creighton Business have written Private Ordering in Light of the Law: Acheiving Consumer Protection through Payment Card Security Measures, 10 DePaul Business & Commercial Law Journal 213 (2012).  Here's the abstract: A private ordering regime has developed within the payment card industry to define appropriate security […]

Omri Ben-Shahar Paper Looks at Which Consumers Are Hurt Most by Arbitration Clauses

Omri Ben-Shahar of Chicago has written Arbitration and Access to Justice: Economic Analysis. Here is the abstract: Mandatory arbitration clauses in consumer contracts are widely regarded as problematic because they limit consumer’s access to judicial forums, to fair procedures, and potentially to any kind of remedy. But rather than looking at consumers as a group, […]

Paper Proposes Solution to Class Arbitration Problem

Emanwel J. Turnbull has written Opting Out of the Procedural Morass: A Solution to the Class Arbitration Problem, forthcoming in the Widener L. Rev. Here's the abstract: American class actions are internationally regarded as a procedural form to avoid and widely criticized in the United States. They have been narrowed and restricted by U.S. statutes […]

James Nehf on the Failed Promise of Information Privacy

James P. Nehf of Indiana University has written Open Book: The Failed Promise of Information Privacy in America.  Here's the abstract: With financial and other personal information about us in countless databases, and with companies such as Facebook and Google collecting data about their users to drive profits and satisfy expectations of shareholders, there is […]

OCC lowers JP Morgan Chase’s CRA Grade to Satisfactory

by Jeff Sovern The Wall Street Journal has the story here.  Previously the grade had been outstanding.  The other three giant US banks retain ratings of outstanding.  Two thoughts: If JP Morgan Chase undertakes new lending to improve its rating, that will say something about the importance of the Community Reinvestment Act in spurring banks […]