Appearing in the Boston Globe on November 4, 2025, Camilo Fonseca interviews NCLC Senior Attorney John Van Alst for coverage of how for many Americans, buying and owning a car has become harder than it’s been in decades. And buyers are taking on larger loans than ever before. “The trends are ‘very alarming, particularly for…
California Combating Auto Retail Scams (CARS) Act will make buying a new or used vehicle in California more affordable and less risky.
Appearing in USA Today on Aug. 14, 2025, Susan Tompor talks to John Van Alst, senior attorney at the National Consumer Law Center about how borrowers can save money and get the best financing for a vehicle purchase. About 75% of car buyers who finance cars and trucks do so at the dealership, said John…
Read More about USA Today: How to get the best car loan before you visit the dealership
Complaint Alleges Jaffarian Volvo Toyota Charged Black and Hispanic Customers Higher Prices and Markups for Add-On Products and Services Than Similarly Situated White Customers BOSTON — Attorney General Maura Healey announced today that her office is suing a Haverhill car dealership for engaging in unfair, deceptive, and discriminatory pricing practices against Black and Hispanic customers by illegally…
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Appearing in The New York Times on March 14, 2025, Ann Carnns talks to NCLC Senior Attorney John Van Alst about the impact of trade tariffs on the cost of cars and the buying process. “Buying a car is always a tricky thing to do,” and uncertainty around the impact of tariffs “really makes it…
Read More about The New York Times: Buying a Car? Trump’s Tariffs Could Make It More Expensive.
Originally appearing in The New York Times on October 11, 2024, Ann Carrns interviews John Van Alst for coverage of how more automobile owners are falling behind on their payments, and a new report that suggests that lenders have sometimes been overzealous in repossessing cars. Americans depend on cars to drive to jobs and doctor…
Read More about The New York Times: What to Do if You Fall Behind on Auto Loan Payments
Appearing in ProPublica on September 12, 2024, Byard Duncan, Ryan Gabrielson, and Lucas Waldron interviewed John Van Alst for a story about how if you defer a car payment, you’ll likely end up owing more at the end of your loan. ProPublica also provides a free auto loan calculator tool built to help borrowers figure…
Read More about ProPublica: What No One Tells You About Car Loan Deferments
The Rule will bring some long overdue relief to car buyers who are tired of dishonest pricing, and will pave a path for the FTC to pursue future rulemakings to regulate car dealers.
Read More about Broad Coalition of 104 Organizations Tell Congress to Support FTC CARS Rule
Yesterday the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) announced it would hold banks and other lenders liable for any auto loans in their portfolio that are discriminatory. Consumer advocates were encouraged by the announcement and hope it is the first step toward eliminating unfair interest-rate markups by auto dealers. Dealers should not be allowed to sell…
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: APRIL 18, 2018 Boston – The U.S. Senate today voted to repeal guidance issued in 2013 by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to help auto finance companies avoid racial and ethnic discrimination by holding them accountable to fair lending laws. “It’s outrageous that the Senate voted to claw back this five-year old…
Today, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced its final rule targeting deceptive conduct in the sale and financing of motor vehicles, titled the “Combatting Auto Retail Scams” (CARS) Rule.
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Originally appearing in Los Angeles Times/ De Los on July 19, 2023, Alejandra Molina looks at a new Brookings Metro report that examines the underlying causes of the wealth gap between Latino and white families and cites John Van Alst‘s report: Time to Stop Racing Cars: The Role of Race and Ethnicity in Buying and Using…
Read More about Los Angeles Times: Why all Latino wealth is not equal
