Lauren Saunders

Associate Director (DC Office)

Lauren Saunders is Associate Director at the National Consumer Law Center and manages the Washington, DC office, where she directs NCLC’s federal legislative and regulatory work. Lauren is a recognized expert in various areas, including small dollar loans, fintech, prepaid cards, credit cards, bank accounts, and consumer protection regulation. She is the lead author of Consumer Banking and Payments Law, contributes to Consumer Credit Regulation, and has authored several reports and white papers. She previously directed the Federal Rights Project of the National Senior Citizens Law Center; was Deputy Director of Litigation at Bet Tzedek Legal Services; and was an associate at Hall & Phillips. She graduated magna cum laude from Harvard Law School and was an Executive Editor of the Harvard Law Review, and holds a Masters in Public Policy from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government and a B.A., Phi Beta Kappa, from Stanford University.

Featured Work

Consumer Finance Monitor Podcast featuring Lauren Saunders: Understanding the legislative and regulatory priorities of consumer advocates

In a conversation hosted by Alan S. Kaplinsky for the Ballard Spahr podcast, Lauren Saunders discusses NCLC’s legislative priorities, which include a 36% national interest rate cap and credit reporting reform, and the prospects for Congressional action. Ms. Saunders then provides NCLC’s perspective on areas of potential CFPB regulatory action including overdraft and other fees…
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NCLC’s Saunders Testifies on Buy Now, Pay Later and Other Fintech Cashflow Products

On Tuesday, Nov. 2 at 10 am ET, Lauren Saunders, associate director of the National Consumer Law Center will testify before the U.S. House Committee on Financial Services’ Task Force on Financial Technology during a hearing titled, “Buy Now, Pay More Later? Investigating Risks and Benefits of BNPL and Other Emerging Fintech Cash Flow Products.” …
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Getting Money Back for Scammed Consumers

This article explains consumers’ legal remedies and options, which vary depending on the method used for the consumer’s payment.
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