Wastewater systems nationwide have for some time been urging people not to flush anything except human waste and toilet paper down the toilet to avoid clogs that damage sewer lines. Kimberly-Clark and other manufacturers, however, market some of their moistened wipes as "flushable," a claim that has given rise to litigation from consumers as well […]
From the LA Times: If … you think government has a role to play in ensuring fair play by companies that have shown themselves to be guided almost exclusively by self-interest and a disregard for consumers and public welfare, this year has been nothing short of horrendous. And 2018 doesn't look much better. The Trump […]
by Jeff Sovern I only just found out about Mehrsa Baradaran's terrific interview for the Who Makes Cents podcast. If you haven't made time to read her book, How the Other Half Banks, this will give you a brief introduction. For those who are unfamiliar with podcasts, it is easy to download them to a smartphone […]
From the announcement: The Janet D. Steiger Fellowship Project provides law students the extraordinary opportunity to work in the consumer protection departments of state and territorial Offices of Attorneys General and other consumer protection agencies throughout the United States. The eight to ten week paid Fellowships were initiated in 2004 by the ABA Section of […]
So says Victoria Finkle in the American Banker. Other names reportedly on the list are House Financial Services Chair Jeb Hensarling, GMU professor Todd Zwyicki, and Keith Norieka, the former acting head of the OCC who threw a monkey wrench into the CFPB's doomed arbitration rule. McWatters currently helms the National Credit Union Administration, and […]
We've received the following Call for Papers: Economic Inquiry is excited to announce a Symposium on the Economics of Consumer Protection. The goal of this symposium is to create a unique reference on consumer protection economics topics that would (a) synthesize what is known about the current state of economic analyses of consumer protection law enforcement and policy, […]
by Jeff Sovern As others, including Adam Levitin and David Lazarus have pointed out, the CFPB recently modified its description of itself at the bottom of its press releases. Here is the old version: The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is a 21st century agency that helps consumer finance markets work by making rules more effective, […]
The story is headlined Trump's Wells Fargo tweet cited in court hearing as reason to remove Mulvaney as CFPB acting chief. The tweet said Fines and penalties against Wells Fargo Bank for their bad acts against their customers and others will not be dropped, as has incorrectly been reported, but will be pursued and, if anything, […]
The American Banker''s Kate Berry has a report on the hearing here; it is not optimistic about English's chances. Meanwhile, the WSJ has a story headlined The Internal Divide Behind Trump’s Takeover of Consumer Watchdog about how White House conservatives want to dismantle the Bureau while the Treasury sees a role for the Bureau. Mulvaney's appointment is seen […]
I should have posted this story yesterday: The Department of Education on Wednesday announced new rules for providing aid to students claiming they were defrauded by their colleges that limits some student loan refunds according to income. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos said the new system "protects taxpayers from being forced to shoulder massive costs that […]