Call for Papers — Section on Financial Institutions and Consumer Financial Protection Program at the 2017 AALS Annual Meeting

We received the following announcement:   The Section on Financial Institutions and Consumer Financial Protection is pleased to announce a Call for Papers from which up to two presenters will be selected for our program to be held during the AALS 2017 Annual Meeting in San Francisco on Friday, January 6, 2017 at 8:30 a.m. The topic […]

Albany Hiring Entry-Level Tenure-Track Professor to Teach Commercial, Consumer Law

We received the following announcement:   ALBANY LAW SCHOOL invites applications for an entry-level tenure-track position to teach a range of commercial, consumer and business law courses. We are especially interested in candidates with experience and expertise in the following subject matter areas: sales, payments, consumer law, mortgages and liens, corporations, regulatory compliance, creditor’s rights, and/or […]

Massachusetts bars employers from asking job applicants their salary history and demands equal pay for “comparable” work

As explained in this article by Stacy Cowley, Massachusetts has become the first state to bar employers from asking job applicants about what they earned at their prior jobs. This excerpt explains why: By barring companies from asking prospective employees how much they earned at their last jobs, Massachusetts will ensure that the historically lower wages and […]

103 Members of Congress Endorse CFPB’s Arbitration Rule

by Jeff Sovern The Senate letter, signed by more than a third of the Senators, is here, and the House letter with 65 signers, is here.  The letters are more than pro forma expressions of support. They are extensively footnoted (and the House letter cites the law professor letter joined by more than 200 professors). Some excerpts […]

Guardian Article on How the Election Could Affect the CFPB

Here. Excerpt: Even before the November election, warning lights were flashing. Jeb Hensarling, the Republican member of Congress who chairs the House financial services committee, has declared he won’t rest until he tosses post-financial crisis reforms like the Dodd-Frank Act “on to the trash heap of history”. Hensarling is also a fierce opponent of the […]

CFPB issues guidance on foreclosure relief

National Mortgage News reports: The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau added its voice Tuesday to a chorus of other regulators in calling for sustainable foreclosure relief when the Home Affordable Modification Program expires at yearend. The bureau released "guiding principles" for mortgage servicers and investors that were almost identical to those described in a white paper […]

Arbitration rejected in antitrust suit against Uber

In Meyer v. Kalanick and Uber, the named plaintiff, Spencer Meyer, alleges that Travis Kalanick orchestrated an antitrust conspiracy arising from the algorithm that co-defendant Uber uses to set Uber ride prices. The plaintiffs sued in federal court in New York. Uber and Kalanick moved to compel arbitration saying Mr. Meyer agreed to arbitrate when he […]

How Gun Control Advocates Could Save Lives by Manufacturing Guns

by Jeff Sovern Smart guns–guns that block anyone other than their owner from shooting them– would save lives.  Children would not be able to grab them and shoot themselves by accident.  People couldn't turn them on their owners. Smart gun technology exists, just as iPhones can be personalized using fingerprints and passcodes.  But gun manufacturers won't sell […]