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Consumer Law

CL&P Blog

The contributors to this blog are a diverse group of lawyers and law professors who practice, teach, or write about consumer law and policy. Although the blog is hosted by Public Citizen's Consumer Justice Project, the views expressed here are solely those of the individual contributors and do not necessarily reflect those of the institutions with which they are affiliated.

Post Frequency: 15.1/day

Last Entry: April 01, 2011 at 11:13:04

The Supreme Court and Arbitration: Bad News for Consumers

Posted on June 25, 2010
Alan Morrison of GW Law School (and former Director of Public Citizen's Litigation Group) has just written this piece for the ACS blog condemning the Supreme Court's recent decisions under the Federal Arbitration Act and arguing that Congress will probably...

Times Report on Yesterday's CFPA/B Conference

Posted on June 23, 2010
Here. Looks like the auto dealers will be excluded from the bill and the agency will be housed within the Fed. But the FTC is to have an easier time regulating car dealers (and perhaps promulgating regulations generally?). The article...

More on Financial Reform Legislation

Posted on June 22, 2010
Yesterday, Jeff Sovern blogged on the House conferee's "offer" on the consumer financial reform bureau provisions of the financial reform legislation. The House offer on all provisions of the legislation can be found here. In the same vein, today's Washington...

Older Drivers Are Driving More -- and More Safely

Posted on June 22, 2010
The Washington Post reports that older drivers are driving more and having fewer accidents. The Post explains: Older people are driving more, crashing less and their fatal accident rate has dropped by 37 percent. The biggest drop of all --...

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Op-ed on the Auto Dealer Carve-Out in the CFPA/B

Posted on June 22, 2010
My essay is here, in Politico.

House Conferees' Offer on CFPB Bill

Posted on June 21, 2010
by Jeff Sovern Barney Frank has just announced the House Conferees' offer on the CFPB. As might be expected, there's good news and bad news for consumers in this offer. Good news includes that the CFPB will have authority over...

Supreme Court Decides Rent-a-Center v. Jackson: Companies Can Delegate Unconscionability Challenges to the Arbitrator

Posted on June 21, 2010
A divided Supreme Court today dealt a major blow to consumers and employees seeking to challenge arbitration agreements on the ground that they are unfair or unconscionable. Public Citizen was co-counsel in the case, Rent-a-Center v. Jackson, and will be...

Automatic Bank Overdraft Fees End On July 1; How Will Banks Recoup Their Losses?

Posted on June 20, 2010
This article in today's Washington Post explains that new rules on bank overdraft fees on debit cards go into effect on July 1: The rules will prohibit banks from automatically charging overdraft fees. Instead, consumers can decide whether they want....

If New Campaign Spending Disclosure Legislation Passes, You'll Know When Exxon Paid for An Ad, But Not When the NRA or AARP Paid For One

Posted on June 18, 2010
Congress has been discussing legislation to counter the Supreme Court's ruling last Term in the Citizens United case, which held that, under the First Amendment, corporations may independently spend whatever they'd like on campaign ads. Chris Van Hollen (pictured below)...

FIFA Shows Its Lack of Restraint in Forbidding "Ambush Marketing"

Posted on June 18, 2010
by Paul Alan Levy Earlier this month, I commented on FIFA's persistent abuse of soccer fans in its opposition to "ambush marketing" -- efforts by companies to associate their brands with major sporting events without paying for "sponsorship rights." The...

Financial Reform Legislation and Auditing the Federal Reserve

Posted on June 17, 2010
A little over a month ago, we told you of the Senate Amendment to the financial reform legislation sponsored by Senator Bernie Sanders (and passed 96 to zero) to require an audit of the Federal Reserve. The press is now...

Simple is Better in Consumer Protection Talks

Posted on June 17, 2010
That's the title of my op-ed in The Hill on the CFPA/B conference discussions.

Journal of Consumer Affairs Special Issue on Financial Literacy

Posted on June 16, 2010
Here's the table of contents of Volume 44, Summer 2010: Editorial Prelude: Financial Literacy 501 Brenda J. Cude Financial Literacy Explicated: The Case for a Clearer Definition in an Increasingly Complex Economy David L. Remund Measuring Financial Literacy Sandra J...

NCLC Updates: Practice Tools

Posted on June 15, 2010
1. Free Webinars: Contact jhiemenz@nclc.org for these and future webinars. Go to www.consumerlaw.org/issues/seniors_initiative/webinar.shtml for the 2010 schedule and FREE downloads of PAST webinars June 16 : Resident Ownership of [Manufactured Home] Communities: Benefits & Policy Landscape June 23: Health Care...

Bugged by VW Settlement

Posted on June 11, 2010
What if a class action settlement defined a subclass that had no class representative and no separate representation by counsel, and it purported to release the claims of all members of the subclass for nothing while giving valuable benefits to...

National Consumer Law Center Issues Report on Alternatives to Payday Loans

Posted on June 09, 2010
Some banks and credit unions offer "alternatives" to payday loans that are sold as better deals for consumers than what is offered by store-front payday lenders. The National Consumer Law Center has just issued a report on the topic --...

Handy Side-by-Side Chart on Senate and House Financial Reform Bills

Posted on June 09, 2010
As we await the conference committee's negotiations on the financial reform legislation, the House Financial Services Committee has posted this side-by-side chart comparing the bills passed by the House and Senate. You can click on each topic addressed by both...

The Mortgage Reform and Anti-Predatory Lending Act

Posted on June 08, 2010
by Jeff Sovern Buried deeply within the House financial reform bill--beginning at page 1472--is the Mortgage Reform and Anti-Predatory Lending Act. This bill has no precise analog in the Senate bill, though some of its provisions are echoed in the...

BP's Warning to Its Customers

Posted on June 08, 2010
What you'll see at BP gas stations:

NHTSA Recalls for May 2010

Posted on June 07, 2010
Go here for the May 2010 vehicle and other recalls from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Broke USA author on NPR's "Fresh Air"

Posted on June 07, 2010
Gary Rivlin, a former New York Times journalist, appeared on NPR's Fresh Air today. Rivlin is the author of Broke USA, a new book on fringe finance. The interview is here.

FTC Settlement with Countrywide

Posted on June 07, 2010
The FTC has announced a $108 million settlement with Countrywide (i.e. Bank of America) in connection with its mortgage servicing practices. The settlement and complaint are available at the FTC web site.

Should We Tax Coke and Pepsi to Recover Their Externalities?

Posted on June 06, 2010
Perhaps

Trademark silliness continues in South Africa

Posted on June 04, 2010
by Paul Alan Levy FIFA, the world soccer federation, is back at it, trying to enforce the right to forbid any mention of the World Cup on merchandise. But the silliness has apparently reached new heights as this video portrays...

Elizabeth Warren on the Fight to Save the Consumer Financial Protection Agency

Posted on June 04, 2010
At politico.com

CPSC Recalls for May 2010

Posted on June 03, 2010
Go here for the May 2010 product safety recalls from the Consumer Product Safety Commission.

One Woman's Story of Student Loan Debt

Posted on June 02, 2010
Last Friday, the New York Times reported on the $100,000 in student loan debt incurred by Cortney Munna to attend New York University. The story raises the question whether schools like NYU and lenders (like Citibank, which lent Ms. Munna...

Consumer Protection Course Coverage Survey

Posted on June 01, 2010
by Jeff Sovern Two years ago, I surveyed attendees at Richard Alderman's University of Houston Teaching Consumer Law Conference about their course coverage; the results are here. I wanted to find out if the answers have changed, and also ask...

New Study Shows Link Between Use of Tanning Beds and Deadly Skin Cancers; FDA Considering Regulatory Action

Posted on June 01, 2010
The New York Times reports on a study in the journal Cancer showing a causal link between indoor tanning and the most deadly form of skin cancer -- melanoma. Those who used indoor tanning devices were 1.74 times as likely...

The Federal Reserve Posts Credit Card Agreements

Posted on June 01, 2010
The Federal Reserve has posted the "agreements" that consumers enter into with their credit card companies. You can find the agreements of each issuer by clicking in a lengthy drop-down menu containing all the issuers' names. Or you can search...

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