National Consumer Law Center

Washington, D.C. June 28, 2021 – Today, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (Bureau) released its final rule under the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA) related to helping homeowners impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The rule contains important consumer protections to help stave off unnecessary foreclosures, but the time period for the rule’s foreclosure protections […]

Washington, D.C. March 26, 2020– Today, under the cover of a national crisis, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), Federal Reserve Board (FRB), and the National Credit Union Administration issued small dollar bank lending guidance that lacks the consumer protections needed to […]

Washington, D.C. Nov. 12, 2019 –  Advocates at the National Consumer Law Center (NCLC) applauded today’s introduction in Congress of a bill to cap interest rates nationwide at 36%, including fees, which NCLC is supporting on behalf of its low-income clients. “It is fitting that as we celebrate Veterans’ Day that we honor our veterans […]

Boston, Nov. 12, 2019 – Millions of families have still not recovered from the Great Recession of 2008, and the astronomic growth of the debt buyer industry makes them increasingly vulnerable to seizure of essential wages and property to pay their oldest debts. A new report from the National Consumer Law Center surveys the exemption […]

Washington, May 7, 2019 – The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) released a proposed debt collection rule today which provides numerous gifts to debt collectors with limited new protections for consumers. “We are horrified that the CFPB’s proposed rule will actually authorize harassment of consumers through phone calls, emails, and texts. We are deeply disappointed […]

Washington, June 4, 2018 – Today, 11 consumer advocates and professors* who serve on the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s (Bureau) Consumer Advisory Board (CAB) expressed deep concern about the policies and direction of the Bureau. “We can’t forget that American families lost one-third of their wealth just a decade ago, due to reckless market practices […]

Washington, Feb. 13, 2018 – President Trump’s proposed budget  once again seeks to eliminate funding for programs that have bipartisan support that help rural families, elders, struggling families and veterans, according to advocates at the National Consumer Law Center. Additionally, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (Consumer Bureau) would be severely weakened due to drastic cuts […]

Boston January 11, 2018 – New data from the National Taxpayer Advocate for the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) shows that a congressionally-mandated program requiring the IRS to use private debt collectors, like past efforts, targets financially vulnerable families while costing taxpayers three times more than it recovers. IRS data show that 44% of taxpayers who […]

Washington, D.C. January 4, 2018 – The Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) “Biennial Report to Congress” reveals a sizeable uptick in consumer complaints about robocalls in 2017, with 4.5 million complaints filed in 2017 compared to 3.4 million in 2016. While the rise in complaints is consistent with an increased use of intrusive and disruptive robocall […]

Sept. 9, 2017 – The massive Equifax data breach is one of the largest in our country’s history, affecting half of the United States population and nearly three-quarters of consumers with credit reports. Chances are, this affects YOU. Plus, the stolen information is the mother lode of sensitive personal data that can be used for […]

WASHINGTON, Feb. 16, 2017 – Today, the full U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit agreed to rehear a decision that would have posed a serious threat to the integrity and independence of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and its director Richard Cordray. The decision, issued by three of the Circuit’s judges […]