This article by Kenneth Harney explains the new standards: First-time and move-up home buyers with heavy debt loads, low credit scores and small down payments face a daunting new mortgage hurdle: The Federal Housing Administration is toughening its underwriting standards. Large numbers of applications could be turned down in the coming months as a result. Industry […]
by Jeff Sovern Sara has updated the list once more in light of comments. It appears below the fold. We are still accepting comments, so if you have not yet registered yours, please send it in. As for the statistics, they are as follows: 109 classes total (58.33%) 32 clinics total (15.69%) 88 offer only […]
The London School of Economics is offering an intensive course this summer in European Consumer Law. More information here.
The Hill reports that the Federal Trade Commission is ordering the largest broadband providers to turn over information on their handling of consumer data as the agency launches an extensive review of privacy practices. "Comcast, Verizon and AT&T were among the companies that received orders from the FTC following a 5-0 vote by the agency's […]
Last week, the Federal Trade Commission and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau reported on their 2018 activities to administer the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act. The report highlights both agencies’ law enforcement, education and public outreach, and policy initiatives. The report is here.
by Jeff Sovern Now that we've heard from some readers about other schools teaching consumer law, a more complete list appears after the jump (if you know of still more schools, please let me know). The totals are even more encouraging than I had thought: 119 schools, or 58.55%, offer either some form of a […]
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau seeks applications for spots on its advisory committees: To be sure that we hear from a variety of experts with diverse viewpoints, we set up the Consumer Advisory Board, the Community Bank Advisory Council, the Credit Union Advisory Council, and the Academic Research Council. These advisory committees provide us with […]
by Jeff Sovern Five years ago, I posted a list of law schools teaching consumer law, as compiled by my then-research assistant Preston Postlethwaite. I've received requests to update the list, and so I asked another research assistant, Sara Krastins, to do so. Sara examined the web sites for the 204 ABA-approved law schools (she […]
Here, in The Hill.
In its latest foray into the poorly drafted provisions of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, the Supreme Court unanimously decided today in Obduskey v. McCarthy & Holthus LLP that entities who engage in nonjudicial foreclosure either regularly or as their principal business are not (for that reason) "debt collectors" within the meaning of the […]

