by Jeff Sovern Here. Some excerpts: First, the attacks: Ben Carson, second only to Donald Trump in Republican presidential polling, has called the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau the "ultimate example of regulatory overreach." Candidate Carly Fiorina, former chief executive of Hewlett-Packard, says the watchdog agency's investigative powers worry her "a whole lot more" than the […]
by guest blogger Rachel Clattenburg of Public Citizen Litigation Group Last week, NPR’s Morning Edition described Chapter 11 bankruptcy as one of our economy's “secret weapons.” The story focused on an appliance business in Charlotte, N.C., which was saved after filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The story credits Chapter 11—the Chapter generally used by businesses […]
Both enforcement and public education are on the agenda for the Commonwealth's Attorney General Mark Herring. Listen to the NPR story here.
The Journal of Legal Studies is holding a conference at the University of Chicago titled "Contracting Over Privacy" on October 16 & 17. The conference features an all-star lineup. Here's the conference blurb: Information privacy is rapidly emerging as one of the key areas of consumer protection in our era. This conference will examine the […]
Recently, we told you about Coca-Cola's funding of scientists seeking to shift the blame for obesity away from bad diets (including regularly gulping down sugary drinks like Coke). If you were interested in that story, you'll be interested in this story. At this website, Coke urges consumers to "Share a Coke" with someone by allowing […]
A Washington Post online story today discusses the Federal Trade Commission's opposition to proposed amendments to the Electronic Communications Privacy Act: By now, Americans are all too familiar with the ways hackers can gain unauthorized entry into their personal accounts online. But did you know that the government can currently seize many of your e-mails without even […]
You would probably assume that Ben Carson and his presidential campaign would be thrilled that so many people across America are creating T-shirts, mugs and other items touting his candidacy for the presidency, saying “Ben Carson for President 2016" or using more creative slogans, plastering his face on such items. And you would think that […]
Here. Excerpt: Under Grassley's legislation, all students who are going to take out a federal loan to help pay for college would have to undergo counseling that would include an estimate of how much the student will likely make upon graduating versus their loan debt. Students would also look at potential options for scholarships or […]
The FDA recently issued this draft guidance to assist industry in drug development to combat rare diseases. 10% of people will get a rare disease. That sounds strange because a rare disease is, well, rare. It is defined (by the Orphan Drug Act of 1983) as a disorder or condition that affects fewer than 200,000 […]
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau on Monday obtained a preliminary injunction against World Law Group and its senior leaders for running a debt-relief scheme that the CFPB alleged charged consumers exorbitant, illegal upfront fees. The CFPB alleges the debt-relief scheme falsely promised consumers a team of attorneys to help negotiate debt settlements with creditors, failed […]