Researchers at George Washington University have found that "people who eat fast food tend to have significantly higher levels of certain phthalates, which are commonly used in consumer products such as soap and makeup to make them less brittle but have been linked to a number of adverse health outcomes, including higher rates of infertility, especially […]
According to a report in HousingWire, Is TRID hysteria over? Time to close drops to 12-month low, the new TILA/RESPA closing disclosures are not delaying mortgage closings. The story explains "lenders now have this whole TRID thing figured out, as the time to close a loan fell to a 12-month low in March." The TRID […]
More than 300 kids have been killed and almost that many seriously injured when they've gotten tangled up in blind cords, the Post reports. It describes the deaths in chilling fashion: "The deaths are fast and silent. Often, the parent is in the same room and turns away to change a channel or put away […]
Borrowers who obtain loan forgiveness based on disability or families who have student debt discharged based on the death of a child have to pay taxes on that benefit under current law. Now three senators are pushing for relief. Marketwatch reports, citing the example of "a Maine couple who were able to have their son’s […]
As we've discussed, poor people across the country face incarceration for minor offenses because they can't pay fines and fees. (See here, for instance.) On a more hopeful note, check out the recent op-ed in the Post by Texas municipal court Judge Ed Spillane. Entitled "Why I refuse to send people to jail for failure […]
Here. Because the Bureau usually combines field hearings with announcements of related developments, it is likely to announce its proposed arbitration rules that day.
Following up on Brian's illuminating post earlier this week about the widening gap in life expectancy between the rich and the poor, two other articles discussing health and the economic divide are worth a read. First, the New York Times, drawing on the same research that Brian flagged, concludes: "The Rich Live Longer Everywhere. For the […]
Bartik and Nelson have written Credit Reports as Résumés: The Incidence of Pre-Employment Credit Screening. Here is the abstract: We study recent bans on employers' use of credit reports to screen job applicants – a practice that has been popular among employers, but controversial for its perceived disparate impact on racial minorities. Exploiting geographic, temporal, and […]
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau today issued a report that found that attempts by online lenders to debit payments from a consumer’s checking account add a steep, hidden cost to online payday loans. Half of online borrowers rack up an average of $185 in bank penalties because at least one debit attempt overdrafts or fails. […]
by Jeff Sovern Yesterday I posted about Senator Elizabeth Warren's takedown of Leonard Chanin, formerly of the Fed and the CFPB, now of MoFo, at a Senate Banking Committee hearing. I have since finished listening to the hearing and wanted to say a few more things. First, at the conclusion of the hearing. the Committee's chair, Republican […]