Category Archives: Uncategorized

FTC sues Walmart for facilitating money transfer fraud

The Federal Trade Commission yesterday sued Walmart for allowing its money transfer services to be used by fraudsters, who fleeced consumers out of hundreds of millions of dollars. In its lawsuit, the FTC alleges that for years, the company turned a blind eye while scammers took advantage of its failure to properly secure the money transfer […]

CFPB affirms states’ ability to police credit reporting markets

Today, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau issued an interpretive rule affirming states’ abilities to protect their residents through their own fair credit reporting laws. The CFPB rule explains that, with limited preemption exceptions, states have the flexibility to preserve fair and competitive credit reporting markets by enacting state-level laws that are stricter than the federal […]

Mystery company fails to identify Twitter critic who used “its” photos

by Paul Alan Levy Judge Vincent Chabbria ruled that an anonymous Twitter user using the pseudonym “Mr. Money Bags” could not be identified pursuant to a DMCA subpoena, both because her display of copyrighted photographs to taunt a venture capitalist for allegedly spending money on the company of nubile young women was fair use, and […]

Senators ask FTC to protect communities of color from discriminatory online practices

Seven Democratic and Democratic-caucusing senators sent a letter to the Federal Trade Commission on Wednesday calling on it to use its authority to protect communities of color and immigrant communities in the United States from discriminatory online practices, biometric surveillance, consumer predation, and anti-competitive behavior. The letter focuses on the impact of facial recognition and […]

NCLC releases 50-state survey on predatory lending laws

From NCLC's press release: "A new report from the National Consumer Law Center finds progress toward a 36% APR cap for common short-term and longer-term loans in some states. In states that allow high-cost loans, exorbitant interest rates can trap borrowers in a cycle of debt. Two states – New Mexico and North Dakota – […]

CFPB requests information regarding relationship banking and customer service

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is seeking public input on how bank customers can assert their rights to better customer service with big banks. A 2010 federal law specifies that consumers have rights to obtain timely responses to requests for information about their accounts from large depository institutions. In a Request for Information issued this […]

Another Unanimous Supreme Court Decision Goes Against a Company Seeking Arbitration

For the second time in the space of two weeks, the Supreme Court issued a narrow, but unanimous, decision against a company seeking arbitration. Today's decision in Southwest Airlines v. Saxon, like the one two weeks ago in Morgan v. Sundance, Inc., involved an employment arbitration agreement, not a consumer agreement. And the specific issue […]