CFPB report estimates $88 billion in medical bills on credit reports

A new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau report highlights "the complicated and burdensome nature of the medical billing system in the United States." The report reveals that the U.S. healthcare system is supported by a billing, payments, collections, and credit reporting infrastructure where mistakes are common, and where patients often have difficulty getting these errors corrected […]

Webinar: What to Know About College Students, Cryptocurrencies, and Scams

On March 9, as part of National Consumer Protection Week, the Federal Trade Commission and National Student Employment Association are presenting a free webinar called "What to Know About College Students, Cryptocurrencies, and Scams." Here is the description: You’ve probably heard of cryptocurrency, but do you know how it works? This webinar will go over […]

Two consumer law announcements involving international matters

Both courtesy of Kathleen Engel: Consumer protection law in the 21st century: Moving to a new Pangaea or a continental drift? 5th Bi-Annual UPICLC University of Pretoria International Consumer Protection Law Conference 15-17 September 2022 Call for Papers The International Review of Financial Consumers. The IRFC, established in 2016 by the International Academy of Financial Consumers […]

Some states charge consumers responding to debt collection suits filing fees of hundreds of dollars

So reports George Simons at Bloomberg Law. Excerpt: California, Arizona, and Minnesota are good examples of states attempting to increase access to justice while charging defendants enormous filing fees. These fees are charged for all types of civil lawsuits, but are particularly relevant to debt lawsuits where defendants are being sued because, presumably, they don’t […]

Consumer Advocates Propose New Model State Consumer Protection Act

The LA Times and Ralph Nader have already written about it. Here's the press release, which includes links: Hacked by Big Corporations, America’s Civil Justice System Has Crashed, Consumer Advocates Say Report Details Impact on Consumers – and Democracy – of Corporate Attack on the Rule of Law, Proposes New Protections and Legal Procedures Contact: Harvey […]

Horton article finds plaintiffs less likely to win in forced remote arbitration

David Horton of California, Davis has written Forced Remote Arbitration, 108 Cornell Law Review (2022). Here’s the abstract: Courts responded to COVID-19 by going remote. In early 2020, as lockdown orders swept through the country, virtual hearings—which once were rare—became common. This shift generated fierce debate about how video trials differ from in-person proceedings. Now, […]

NY Times: Navient settlement with the states does not help borrowers who are not in default

Here. Excerpt: After years of struggling to make payments that hardly put a dent in the loans she took out to attend a now defunct arts school, Victoria Linssen saw a glimmer of hope. A deal last month between 39 states and Navient, a student lending giant accused of unfairly ensnaring borrowers like her, would […]

Consumer Law Scholars Make Wide-Ranging Proposals to CFPB

The effort was led by Berkeley's Center for Consumer Law and Economic Justice and resulted in production of a series of short memoranda available here. Topics covered include discrimination, arbitration, income share agreements, BNPL, substitution effects of regulation, disclosures, overdraft protections, and more.