Positive-value claims and class-action deterrence

It's often said that a class action makes sense as a tool for aggregating negative-value claims (claims that even if litigated successfully on an individual basis result in a loss to the plaintiff). In Deterrence and Aggregate Litigation, law prof Keith Hylton looks at positive-value claims and finds that optimal deterrence is served by class actions […]

New book about the CFPB and its future

Larry Kirsch and Gregory Squires have written Meltdown: The Financial Crisis, Consumer Protection, and the Road Forward. Here's how  the authors describe the book's 5 key features: Presents the first comprehensive examination of the CFPB that identifies its successes during its first five years of operation and addresses the challenges the bureau now faces Exposes the alarming […]

Does Credit Card Regulation Increase the Availability of Credit Cards, Despite Industry Claims?

by Jeff Sovern The banking industry opposed the Credit Card Act of 2009  on the ground that it would reduce the availability of credit. We heard the same objection to 2010's Dodd-Frank Act.  So you might think that it would be hard to get a credit card or to use one to borrow these days.  […]

In Double Whammy for Students, Tax Proposal Would Eliminate Deductibility of Student Loan Interest Payments and Tax Some School Endowments

by Jeff Sovern So reports MarketWatch. If the bill is enacted, students will effectively have to pay more for student loans and some schools will have a harder time helping with scholarships because their endowments will be smaller than they otherwise would be.

Anticonsumer Advocates Try to Talk Trump into Firing CFPB Director Cordray

by Jeff Sovern According to a CNBC story, Trump wants to sack consumer protection chief but is afraid of turning him into hero for the left, during the signing of the resolution to rescind the CFPB arbitration rule, a session that, as far as I know, was attended only by representatives of the financial services industry, members […]

Consumerist.com ends its run

Consumerist.com posted on Monday that the website has posted its last post: This is our last post on Consumerist.com. We’re deeply proud of all the work we’ve done on behalf of consumers, from exposing shady practices by secretive cable companies to pushing for action against dodgy payday lenders. We’ve had a tremendous run as a standalone […]