On June 29, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB or Bureau) issued an advisory opinion focused on consumer debt collectors and the convenience fees they charge for some payments, such as online or by phone.
Convenience fees — common in many types of financial transactions — have recently been categorized as “junk fees” by the
A consumer made charges on a credit card account, which she failed to pay as agreed. The creditor referred the account to a law firm, which served the consumer with a collection suit and obtained a default judgment for the balance. The law firm sent four post-judgment collection letters, demanding the $4,225.74 balance. In a
In Fowler v. Preferred Collection & Mgmt. Servs., No. 8:21-cv-1038-WFJ-AAS (M.D. Fla. May 16, 2022), the court granted in part and denied in part the defendant’s motion for summary judgement as to claims asserted against it under Section 1681s-2(b) of the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA). In doing so, the court weighed in
On May 23, California’s Department of Financial Protection and Innovation (DFPI or Department) sent an email notifying license applicants and prospective license applicants that the issuance of licenses under the Debt Collection Licensing Act is unavoidably delayed at this time.
The original deadline for applicants was December 31, 2021; however, that deadline was extended to
On May 4, the Connecticut Banking Commissioner issued a temporary order to cease and desist and order to make restitution against lead generator SoLo Funds Inc. (SoLo) for allegedly engaging in unfair, deceptive, and abusive acts and practices (UDAAPs) in violation of the Consumer Financial Protection Act of 2010, as well as for operating in
On May 2, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB or Bureau) released its Supervisory Highlights report on legal violations discovered during examinations in the second half of 2021.
The Supervisory Highlights detail issues identified by CFPB examination teams across a wide number of segments of the consumer financial services industry. Summarized below are those issues
On April 28, U.S. District for the Southern District of New York Judge Mary Kay Vyskocil issued an order, enjoining three named sheriffs in New York from enforcing the recently enacted New York Fair Consumer Judgment Interest Act (Act) on a retroactive basis and directs the plaintiffs to deliver notice of the same to
On April 18, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB or Bureau) published a blog post, scrutinizing the practice of withholding transcripts from students with delinquent accounts and who are attending an institute of higher education.
The practice of withholding transcripts as a collections tactic has never been popular with regulators or consumer advocates. As
In Carroll v. Medicredit, Inc., No. 2:20-cv-01728-KJD-EJY (D. Nev. Mar. 18, 2022), the court denied the parties’ cross motions for judgment on the pleadings as to claims under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) the Fair Debt Collections Practices Act (FDCPA) that arose out of collection calls placed after the parties had agreed to
On March 15, the D.C. Council of the District of Columbia Committee of the Whole met in a full hearing, in part to hear amendments introduced to B24-0357 by Councilmember and Chair Phil Mendelson (D).
B24-0357 is the Protecting Consumers from Unjust Debt Collection Practices Amendment Act of 2021, and was raised by Mendelson in