Category Archives: Uncategorized

Private racketeering class action alleges that Bank of America deliberately denied HAMP mortgage modifications

Read this Charlotte observer story on the suit. Here's an excerpt: A lawsuit in federal court in Colorado accuses Charlotte-based Bank of America of racketeering, in what amounts to more fallout for the bank stemming from a federal mortgage-modification program. The suit, filed Wednesday, claims violations of the federal Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, […]

Times Report: Novel-Length Contracts Online and What They Say

Here.  The article is about the problem of boilerplate more generally than the headline suggests and is definitely worth a read.  Here's my favorite quote: “I’m not someone who wags his finger and says you should read [online contracts],” said Douglas G. Baird, a professor of law at the University of Chicago. “If you read […]

New online privacy bill in Congress

In an era in which privacy is under attack on many fronts, it's welcome news whenever members of Congress introduce bills to protect consumer privacy. One such effort is that of Rep. John Duncan of Tennessee, who this week proposed legislation to protect minors against misappropriation of their likenesses for advertising. (See here for further […]

Sens. Warren and McCain seek return to Glass-Steagall bank regulation

Senators Warren and McCain have introduced legislation to prevent banks from engaging in certain financial speculation. Its explained in this article by Peter Eavis. Here's a brief excerpt: Senator Elizabeth Warren on Thursday introduced an aggressive piece of legislation that intends to take the financial industry back to an era when there was a strict […]

Wal-Mart vs. living-wage legislation

Wal-Mart has been thinking about putting at least three large stores in the District of Columbia and had spent a chunk of money in the planning phase. Meanwhile, the D.C. City Council has been considering minimum-wage legislation that would require certain large retailers, including Wal-Mart, to pay its workers at least $12.50 per hour (or […]

Effort to bring back low student-loan rates fails in the Senate

We reported earlier that the interest rate for new federal student loans doubled from 3.4% to 6.8% on July 1 because Congress failed to agree on new legislation. The Senate tried again yesterday, but again failed. A bill sponsored by Senate Democrats would have brought the rate back down to 3.4% for one year, retroactive […]

Constitutional attacks on Dodd-Frank

The Dodd-Frank financial reform legislation remains under assault in the Republican controlled House of Representatives. At a hearing yesterday before the House Financial Services Committee's subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, law professor Thomas Merrill and lawyer C. Boyden Gray testified that certain aspects of Dodd-Frank are likely unconstitutional. Merrill's testimony is here and Gray's testimony […]