Category Archives: Uncategorized

How should the law treat the gig economy?

To quote law prof Orly Lobel, "gig workers" are "people who provide contracted, freelance work on a short-term basis via digital platform technologies." Uber drivers are well-known examples. Lobel goes on: "Gig workers are drivers, delivery-people, personal assistants, handymen, cleaners, cooks, dog-sitters, and babysitters, but increasingly are also more specialized professionals, including nurses, doctors, teachers, […]

What about the merits of PHH Corp. v. CFPB?

There's been a lot of interest in the constitutional ruling in PHH Corporation v. CFPB (D.C. Cir.) — that it's not constitutionally okay for an independent agency to be directed by just one person who may only be removed for cause. But I haven't seen much about the merits of the parties' dispute under the anti-kickback provisions of […]

Proposal to tighten cybersecurity requirements for banks

The Washington Post reports today: Banking regulators outlined a new set of rules Wednesday aimed at tightening cybersecurity requirements to protect financial markets and customers from online attacks. A proposal from the Federal Reserve Board, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation suggests minimum standards and requirements for […]

Prepaid cards play bigger role for ‘unbanked’ households

The Wall Street Journal reports today: More households that don’t have bank accounts are using prepaid cards for basic financial services, such as making purchases, receiving deposits and saving for the future, a government survey found. Among U.S. households that have no access to the regular banking system, 27% reported using prepaid cards in the […]

CFPB projects that 1-in-3 rehabilitated student loan borrowers will re-default within 2 years

Earlier this week, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Student Loan Ombudsman released a report projecting that "over the next two years, one-in-three rehabilitated student loan borrowers could be driven back into default due to gaps between student loan programs. The report examines debt collection and servicing problems plaguing the federal programs designed to help millions […]

New proposals to protect airline customers

The Associated Press reports: Saying they want to boost competition in the airline industry, Obama administration officials issued new regulations Tuesday aimed at providing passengers with more information to compare the performance of air carriers and the cost of flights. The Department of Transportation also said it was proposing that airlines be required to refund […]

T-Mobile to Pay FCC $48 million over misleading data plans

The Federal Communications Commission announced that T-Mobile will pay a fine and provide benefits to consumers totaling at least $48 million as part of a settlement resolving an investigation into whether the company adequately disclosed speed and data restrictions for its “unlimited” data plan subscribers. The FCC’s investigation found that company policy allows it to […]

CFPB dings D.C. Circuit’s decision in PHH Corporation v. CFPB

In a case in federal district court in North Dakota, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has filed this brief about the D.C. Circuit's decision in PHH Corporation v. CFPB and said this: In considering a separation-of-powers challenge to the Bureau’s structure, the PHH panel announced a new constitutional rule that agencies must be structured as multimember […]