In early March, the Department of Education, led by Secretary Elisabeth Dee DeVos, began informing some former students at campuses once owned by the now-defunct Corinthian Colleges, Inc. that it will forgive only fifty percent or less of their federal student loans. In fact, DeVos had announced her intent to adopt such a plan, a
On March 15, Governor Jay Inslee of Washington signed the Washington Student Education Loan Bill of Rights. This law had been in the works since 2017 when a report, released by Attorney General Bob Ferguson in December, documented significant disparities across gender, income, age, and race in student loan borrowing and highlighted a handful
In the student loan market, servicers play a critical role. These entities maintain account records regarding borrowers, send periodic statements advising borrowers about amounts due and outstanding balances, receive payments from borrowers, allocate those payments among various loans and loan holders, answer borrowers’ questions, report to creditors and investors, and strive to prevent default by
The FTC has just issued its annual report, the Consumer Sentinel Network Data Book, aggregating data on the 2.68 million consumer complaints that it received in 2017. This number is down from a peak in consumer complaints during 2015 – 3.04 million complaints – and last year’s total of 2.98 million.
According to the FTC’s
In a decision of far-reaching importance, a Virginia trial court recently ruled – twice – that small loan companies are exempt from regulation under the Virginia Consumer Protection Act (“VCPA”).
In its original ruling, handed down in late January, the Circuit Court for the City of Richmond rejected the position of the Virginia Attorney General’s
On February 28, Mick Mulvaney, the acting director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, delivered remarks at the winter meeting of the National Association of Attorneys General (“NAAG”) in which he outlined the CFPB’s strategic vision and enforcement priorities.
More Enforcement Leadership from State Attorneys General
In his comments, Mulvaney stressed that, moving forward, the
A state court in Arizona returned a $1.85 million verdict against two related rental car companies, resolving a consumer fraud suit raised by the Arizona Attorney General’s Office. The A.G.’s Office originally filed suit against Phoenix Car Rental, Saban’s Rent-A-Car, and the companies’ owner, Dennis N. Saban, in 2014, alleging violation of the Arizona Consumer
We are pleased to announce that Troutman Sanders partner Ashley Taylor will participate in a webinar hosted by the American Bar Association on “An Inside View – Working with Your Attorney General.” The event will take place on February 13, 2018 from 10:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. ET.
Ashley Taylor will interview Attorney General Karl
On January 3, a coalition of 49 state attorneys general announced a $45 million settlement with PHH Mortgage Corporation, which was accused of misconduct related to its servicing of single-family residential mortgages.
In announcing the settlement, state attorneys general from across the country touted their commitment to holding mortgage companies responsible for any misconduct that
On January 29, a California state court approved a $2.25 million settlement to be paid by Walgreen Co., commonly known to consumers nationwide as the drug store chain Walgreens. The settlement stems from a consumer protection lawsuit by the district attorneys of four California counties (Santa Clara, Contra Costa, San Mateo, and Santa Cruz) in