Consumerist reports: A large, nationwide debt-collection operation that allegedly brought in tens of millions of dollars through illegal means — like impersonating law-enforcement officers, or threatening arrest for non-payment — is the target of a joint legal action by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and the New York state attorney general. The article is here. […]

From The Washington Post today: AT&T's recently announced deal to acquire Time Warner reflects massive changes in media and technology. Although regulators could challenge the acquisition or slap conditions on it that may limit how AT&T can use its new assets, the purchase hints at a future where a single company can monetize the same customer multiple times […]

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has issued a new “Supervisory Highlights,” describing recent supervisory activity in the areas of auto mobile loan origination, automobile loan servicing, debt collection, mortgage origination, mortgage servicing, student loan servicing and fair lending. The reported findings reflect information obtained from supervisory activities completed between May 2016 and August 2016. The […]

Do race and gender play a role in how long a customer waits for an uber or lyft? What about cancellation rates? What about cost? A new study, published as a National Bureau of Economic Research working paper, shows a pattern of discrimination, especially as to race. See Racial and Gender Discrimination in Transportation Network Companies by […]

The Department of Education today issued new rules to help students get their federal loans erased in cases involving fraud and misconduct by their schools. The rules were prompted in part the closing of Corinthian Colleges amid allegations of fraud. As the New York Times explains, the new rules will clarify that students are eligible […]

The Minneapolis Star Tribune has published this investigative report on the FDA's adverse-event reporting system for medical devices. The Star Tribune used the Freedom of Information Act to get information from the FDA about patient injuries associated with medical devices. By law, this information should have been public in the first place. The report is quite […]

Read Kaveh Waddell's article entitled Incessant Consumer Surveillance Is Leaking Into Physical Stores. Here's an excerpt: You just wanted to shop for a birthday gift in peace—instead, you got ads that follow you around the internet, and coupons in your email that remember exactly which products you clicked on. So you shut down your computer, stick your […]

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has released its monthly complaint snapshot, this one highlighting consumer complaints about prepaid products. The report shows that consumers continue to experience issues trying to manage their accounts and access funds. The report also highlights trends seen in complaints coming from North Carolina. Regarding prepaid cards, common complaints included unauthorized […]