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    September 21, 2014 Home Depot Hacked

    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

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    September 18, 2014 Resources on Medical Debt Collection

    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

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    September 16, 2014 Student Loan Reports From the United States Senate

    Report to the Senate from August, 2012, here. Read more

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    September 8, 2014 True Confessions of a Former Debt Collector

    Grayson Bell has written “True Confessions of a Former Debt Collector,” in which he confirms many facts which consumers complain about, but which industries deny, including the following: Read more

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    September 1, 2014 United Nations Consumer Protection Guidelines

    Many people do not even know that there are guidelines on consumer protection from the United Nations, here. Read more

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    August 16, 2014 John Oliver on Payday Lending

    This entire 16-minute segment is definitely worth watching, here. With 1.8 million views on YouTube already, this insightful and often serious clip has the potential to impact policy and regulation. Pass it on. Read more

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    August 16, 2014 “Bad Paper” by Jake Halpern featured in New York Times Magazine Cover Story

    Bad Paper: Chasing Debt From Wall Street to the Underworld by Jake Halpern The New York Times Magazine has just published a cover story adapted from Jake Halpern’s phenomenal upcoming book, Bad Paper. You can read the entire article here. Because I can’t possibly capture Halpern’s outstanding writing style or story telling abilities, I offer… Read more

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    August 9, 2014 Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Sues Large Debt Collection Law Firm, Calling it a “Mill” and a “Factory.”

    In what is probably an unprecedented move, a federal regulator has filed a lawsuit accusing a debt collection law firm of violating the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act because the law firm is a mill, and taking a factory approach to litigation. Specifically, the lawsuit alleges that in filing over 300,000 lawsuits, there was a… Read more

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    April 17, 2014 The Consumerist 101 Guide To Understanding Your Financial Regulators

    Ever wonder who regulates what in terms of consumer finance? Here is a simple explanation of the federal regulators, all in one place, courtesy of The Consumerist. Read more

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    April 11, 2014 Two Data Brokers Settle With Federal Trade Commission for Selling Inaccurate Information About Consumers to Employers and Landlords

    Instant Checkmate, Inc. and InfoTrack Information Services have agreed to pay civil penalties and stop their alleged illegal practices. The FTC press release is here. Read more

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