In July the CFPB sued Frederick J. Hanna & Associates, a Georgia law firm, for its debt collection practices (complaint here), calling the firm a “lawsuit mill.” Hanna & Associates filed a Motion to Dismiss (copy hosted by CFPB monitor) in September, and the CFPB’s response (copy hosted by Consumer Financial Services blog) elegantly explains… Read more
September 28, 2014 USA Discounters, a business that targets service members, has been fined $400,000 by the CFPB for misleading its customers. The CFPB’s action comes less than two months after a joint Washington Post/ Pro Publica report detailed USA Discounters’ collection practices. Read more
September 27, 2014 We’ve all seen promotions for credit cards offering special introductory rates and interest free periods. But when exactly do these promotions expire? The CFPB thinks that credit card offers don’t always make that clear, and has issued a bulletin stating that “[c]redit card offers that lure in consumers and then hit them… Read more
September 26, 2014 This report from the National Consumer Law Center examines the consequences of the Department of Education’s outsourcing of student loan collections to private debt collectors. The report reveals that the Department of Education does little to protect its borrowers from debt collection abuse, and points out that in some respects, the way… Read more
September 25, 2014 Vox carry the story of Danielle Kurtzleben’s experience collecting debts from the families of the recently deceased here. The story illustrates one of the most outrageous practices in debt collection: contacting bereaved families and asking them to pay their loved one’s debts, even though those debts are not legally enforceable. Read more
September 24, 2014 California has passed legislation to: prohibit a contract or proposed contract for the sale or lease of consumer goods or services from including a provision waiving the consumer’s right to make any statement regarding the seller or lessor or its employees or agents, or concerning the goods or services. Read more
September 23, 2014 The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has proposed new rules to regulate non-bank auto finance lenders, including the lending divisions of large car manufacturers. The proposed rules are here. CFPB estimates that the new rule would cover 38 auto finance companies, which make 90% of all consumer auto loans in the country. These… Read more
September 22, 2014 The FTC has shutdown a Missouri-based scam operation, which claimed to be a payday lending business. The scam operated by depositing $200-300 into consumers’ bank accounts without their permission, then repeatedly withdrawing money from the same account as “finance charges”, using fake documents presented to consumers’ banks. The FTC press release is… Read more
September 21, 2014 A major security failure at Home Depot has led to millions of credit card details falling into the hands of hackers. Home Depot says that hackers used custom written malware to attack the store’s registers. However, former Home Depot employees report that, for several years, the company ignored warnings about the potential… Read more
How to check medical bills for errors, here. List of 13 states that may not balance bill, with explanations, here. If you are in New York, there is actually a website called Stop Surprise Medical Bills, here. 2014 study by the CFPB finding that medical debt overly penalizes consumer credit scores, here. Senator Elizabeth Warren’s… Read more