by Jeff Sovern The article is headlined Congress grapples with preventing the next Equifax-level hack. Excerpt: Their ideas included like fining companies that fail to adequately protect consumer data, restructuring the credit reporting industry to allow for more competition and requiring data holders to notify consumers whose information has been compromised. A slew of legislation aimed […]
In an editorial titled President Cordray Strikes Again. This time, it's the payday lending rule that has the WSJ up in arms. Here's the conclusion: The recent rule-makings give the President more cause to dismiss the director, and a D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals panel has held that he can be removed at will. Mr. […]
Though consumer arbitration proponents and courts often justify pre-dispute mandatory arbitration (PDMA) through the language of consent — that consumers contract with corporations freely and knowingly — opponents of PDMA understand that PDMA is forced down consumers' throats. With these two visions of arbitration in mind, you may want to read two new issue papers […]
According to the press release: "The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) today finalized a rule that is aimed at stopping payday debt traps by requiring lenders to determine upfront whether people can afford to repay their loans. These strong, common-sense protections cover loans that require consumers to repay all or most of the debt at […]
Amanda Werner of Americans for Financial Reform and Public Citizen attended the Equifax hearing today to draw attention to forced arbitration and make the point that forced arbitration gives corporations a monopoly on justice. Amanda seems to have attracted as much attention as the former Equifax CEO who was testifying. Below is a small sample […]
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau today issued an interim final rule and a proposed rule "to provide mortgage servicers more flexibility and certainty around requirements to communicate with certain borrowers under the Bureau’s 2016 mortgage servicing amendments. The interim final rule gives servicers more flexibility regarding when to communicate about foreclosure prevention options with borrowers […]
Our readers may be interested in this story by Michael Scarcella on the contentious oral argument today before the Supreme Court in Epic Systems v. Lewis (and two cases consolidated with it), perhaps one of the most important arbitration cases the Court has ever heard. The question presented by one of the pro-arbitration parties is Whether an agreement that […]
"Black people struggling with debts are far less likely than their white peers to gain lasting relief from bankruptcy, according to a ProPublica analysis. Primarily to blame is a style of bankruptcy practiced by lawyers in the South." ProPublica's full story is here.
“This must stop. It is positively infuriating that my colleagues in Congress are so afraid of the gun industry that they pretend there aren’t public policy responses to this epidemic. There are, and the thoughts and prayers of politicians are cruelly hollow if they are paired with legislative indifference. It’s time for Congress to get […]
Below are announcements from the Department of Justice's Consumer Protection Branch from July through September. September 27, 2017 – District Court Enters Permanent Injunction Against Illinois Caviar Supplier to Prevent Distribution of Adulterated Food September 26, 2017 – District Court Enters Permanent Injunction Against Two New Jersey Companies and Two Individuals to Stop Distribution of […]