Issue Briefs

Arbitration & Access to Justice

• Servicemembers, Veterans, and Forced Arbitration: How the New Consumer Protection Financial Bureau Rule Enhances the Military Lending Act, September 2017
• Credit Reports and Forced Arbitration: Will Congress Strip Americans of Their Day in Court? September 2017
• Forced Arbitration and Wells Fargo: The CFPB’s Rule Protects Victims of Bank Fraud, July 2017
• The Arbitration Fairness Act of 2013 Protect Consumers & Employees from Forced Arbitration, November 2013
• Hold Wrongdoers Accountable To the Individuals They Harm, November 2009

Banking & Payment Systems

• New Protections for Prepaid Cards and Accounts, Mar. 28, 2019
•  New Protections for Payroll Cards, Mar. 28, 2019
• New Protections for Government Benefit Prepaid Cards, Mar. 28, 2019
• Common Sense from the Common Law: Why a Longstanding Legal Doctrine Supports Limiting Bank Overdraft Fees to a “Reasonable and Proportional” Standard, April 2013
• 300% Bank Payday Loans Spreading, August 2011
• Features of a Safe Basic Banking or Prepaid Card Account, December 2010
• The CFPB’s Prepaid Card Rule by State, April 2017
• The CFPB’s Prepaid Card Rule Benefits Financial Institutions, Prepaid Card Companies, and Employers, April 2017
• What is Operation Choke Point? Stopping Banks and Payment Processors from Helping Scammers Raid Your Bank Account, September 2015
• Introduction to Account Screening Consumer Reporting Agencies, October 2014

Bankruptcy

• Guide to the HAVEN Act, November 2019

Car Sales & Financing

• Principles for Fair and Equitable Investment in Electric Vehicles and Transportation Electrification, October 2018
• Racial Disparities in Auto Loan Markups State-by-State Data, June 2015
• Racial Disparities in Auto Lending: A State-by-State Reminder Why Auto Dealers Must Be Subject to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, May 2010
• New Ways to Understand the Impact of Auto Finance on Low-Income Families, May 2016

Climate Change Justice

• Juggling Basic Necessities and the Dire Consequences of Unaffordable Energy, May 2014

Consumer Protection Regulation and Preemption

• Recommendations to the CFPB Regarding Debt Collection Problems, April 2013
• The Role of the States under the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010, December 2010
• OCC Ignores Dodd-Frank Act’s Repeal of 2004 Preemption Regulations, May 2011
• The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Should Rein in Mortgage Servicers’ Use of Force-Placed Insurance, May 2012
• Hurdle for Challengers to CFPB Recess Appointment Consumer Bureau Had Full Power With or Without a Director, February 2012
• Consumer Protection and Nonbanks: A Snapshot, March 2010
• Nonbank Consumer Financial Protection Enforcement Cannot Be Left to the FTC, March 2010
• Gaps in State UDAP Laws, Attorney General Authority, Will Hinder CFPA Effectiveness, March 2010
• Glaring Lack of Enforcement in Consumer Protection Proposals Could Make Matters Worse, Not Better, March 2010
• Regulatory Reform and Consumer Protection: Hold Wrongdoers Accountable to the Consumers They Harm, November 2009

Credit Cards

• Myths & Realities About the CARD Act Independent Ability-To-Pay Provision, June 2012

Credit Discrimination

• Issue Brief: Credit Invisibility and Alternative Data: Promises and Perils, July 2019
• Past Imperfect: How Credit Scores and Other Analytics “Bake In” and Perpetuate Past Discrimination, May 2016
• CFPB Should Reform Regulation B to Protect Consumers from Credit Discrimination in Today’s Marketplace, April 2012

Credit Reports

• Salt in the Wound: How Eviction Records and Back Rent Haunt Tenant Screening Reports and Credit Scores, Aug. 2020
• The Wrong Tool for the Wrong Purpose:  Why the Credit Scoring Provision in the Immigration Public Charge Proposal Is Illogical and Ill-Advised, Oct. 2018
• Past Imperfect: How Credit Scores and Other Analytics “Bake In” and Perpetuate Past Discrimination, May 2016

Debt Collection

• Coronavirus Emergency: Consumer Debt Collection Lawsuits – How States Can Help, March 2020
• Potential Impact on Employers and Businesses of CFPB Proposed Debt Collection Rule, July 2019
• Consumer Protection and Court-Sponsored Online Dispute Resolution in Collection Lawsuits, July 2019
• Top Consumer Concerns for Debt Collection Regulations, Sept. 2018
• Recommendations to the CFPB Regarding Debt Collection Problems, April 2013
• The Uniform Wage Garnishment Act: Benefits and Dangers for Wage Earners, April 2017
• U.S. House Bill Would Allow Lawyers to Abuse Consumers in Debt Collection Lawsuits, March 2018
• Consumer Debt Collection Facts, February 2018

Debt Relief Services

• Need Help with Debts? Don’t Get Burned by Scammers – Know the Facts About Debt Relief, March 2018

Disaster Relief & Consumer Protection

• How Victims of Crime and Domestic Violence Survivors in Massachusetts Can Receive Discounted Voice and Data Service through the Federal Lifeline Program, May 2019
• Consumer Tips: Weathering the Financial Storm After a Natural Disaster, October 2018
• Consumer Tips: Getting Your Homeowner’s Insurance Money After a Disaster, October 2018
• Consumer Tips: Avoiding Home Improvement Fraud After a Natural Disaster, October 2018
• One-Page Guide to Avoiding Home Improvement Fraud After a Natural Disaster, October 2018
• Model Utility Consumer Protections When Natural Disasters Strike, August 2018
• Helping Older Homeowners Recover from Natural Disasters, June 2018
• How the Lifeline Program Can Help Vulnerable Consumers Connect to Voice and Internet Service after a Natural Disaster, March 2018
• How the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) Can Help Vulnerable Consumers After a Natural Disaster, March 2018
• The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP): A Safety Net that Saves Lives, February 2018
• Changes to the Heat and Eat Provision in the 2014 Farm Bill and How LIHEAP Participants May Be Affected, June 2014

Domestic Violence Survivors

• Assisting Domestic Violence Survivors in Massachusetts Facing Threat of Foreclosure, June 2019
• How Victims of Crime and Domestic Violence Survivors in Massachusetts Can Receive Discounted Voice and Data Service through the Federal Lifeline Program, May 2019
• Assisting Massachusetts Victims of Crime and Domestic Violence Survivors Who are Having Problems Establishing a New Account or Paying Utility Bills, May 2019

Employment

• Early ‘Wage Access: A Good Option for Workers or a Fintech Payday Loan?, March 2020
• The Uniform Wage Garnishment Act: Benefits and Dangers for Wage Earners, April 2017
• New Mass. Law Protects Cars, Wages, Bank Accounts from Collectors, March 2011
• Protections Needed for Prepaid Payroll, Unemployment Benefits, Child Support, and Other Prepaid Payment Cards, March 2009
• NCLC Survey Reveals Ongoing Problems with Mortgage Servicing, May 2015
• The CFPB Should End Dual Track and Mandate Sensible Loan Modifications, May 2012
• Servicers Continue to Wrongfully Initiate Foreclosures: All Types of Loans Affected, February 2012

Energy, Utilities & Telecommunications

• Ohio’s New Residential PACE Programs Need Strong Consumer Protections to Prevent Homeowner Abuses, Oct. 2019
• Still No Relief for Massachusetts Consumers Tricked by Competitive Electric Supply Companies, October 2018
• How the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) Can Help Vulnerable Consumers After a Natural Disaster, March 2018
• The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP): A Safety Net that Saves Lives, February 2018
• Changes to the Heat and Eat Provision in the 2014 Farm Bill and How LIHEAP Participants May Be Affected, June 2014
• The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), March 2012

Forced Arbitration

• Servicemembers, Veterans, and Forced Arbitration: How the New Consumer Protection Financial Bureau Rule Enhances the Military Lending Act, September 2017
• Credit Reports and Forced Arbitration: Will Congress Strip Americans of Their Day in Court? September 2017
• Forced Arbitration and Wells Fargo: The CFPB’s Rule Protects Victims of Bank Fraud, July 2017

General Predatory Lending Policy Analysis

• Residential Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) Loans: The Perils of Easy Money for Clean Energy Improvements, September 2017
• What is a Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) Loan? September 2016

Housing

• A Looming Crisis: Black Communities at Greatest Risk of Covid-19 Foreclosure, July 2020
• Contracts that Offer Cash for Home Equity Are Riskier than They Look, April 2020
• Recommendations to Improve Servicing and Reduce Foreclosures of Federal Reverse Mortgages, March 2020
• Recommendations to Improve FHA’s Foreclosure Avoidance Program, March 2020
• Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) Loans: State and Local Consumer Protection Recommendations, November 2019
• Ohio’s New Residential PACE Programs Need Strong Consumer Protections to Prevent Homeowner Abuses, Oct. 2019
• Assisting Domestic Violence Survivors in Massachusetts Facing Threat of Foreclosure, June 2019
• USDA Should Modernize Mortgage Protections: Four Long-Overdue Policy Changes to Limit Rural Foreclosures, April 2019
• How HUD is Failing to Protect Widows and Widowers of Reverse Mortgage Borrowers: Case Studies and Recommendations, November 2018
• Residential Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) Loans: The Perils of Easy Money for Clean Energy Improvements, September 2017
• What is a Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) Loan? September 2016
• The CFPB and Other Federal Agencies Should Adopt Strong Language Access Protections for Homeowners and Other Consumers, May 2016
• The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Should Rein in Mortgage Servicers’ Use of Force-Placed Insurance, May 2012

High Cost Small Loans

• Early ‘Wage Access: A Good Option for Workers or a Fintech Payday Loan?, March 2020
• After Payday Loans: How do Consumers Fare When States Restrict High-Cost Loans? Oct. 2018
• OCC’s Short-Term, Small Dollar Lending Bulletin: Vague Guidelines Leave the Devil to the Details, July 2018
• The CFPB’s Prepaid Card Rule Benefits Financial Institutions, Prepaid Card Companies, and Employers, April 2017
• The CFPB’s Prepaid Card Rule by State, April 2017
• Common Sense from the Common Law: Why a Longstanding Legal Doctrine Supports Limiting Bank Overdraft Fees to a “Reasonable and Proportional” Standard, April 2013
• Why Cap Small Loans at 36%?, April 2013
• 300% Bank Payday Loans Spreading, August 2011
• Features of a Safe Basic Banking or Prepaid Card Account, December 2010

LIHEAP & Fuel Assistance

• How the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) Can Help Vulnerable Consumers After a Natural Disaster, March 2018
• The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP): A Safety Net that Saves Lives, February 2018
• Changes to the Heat and Eat Provision in the 2014 Farm Bill and How LIHEAP Participants May Be Affected, June 2014
• The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), March 2012

Loan Servicing and Modifications & Foreclosure Assistance Programs

• The CFPB and Other Federal Agencies Should Adopt Strong Language Access Protections for Homeowners and Other Consumers, May 2016
• The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Should Rein in Mortgage Servicers’ Use of Force-Placed Insurance, May 2012

Manufactured Housing

• Titling Homes as Real Property, October 2015
• How Are the Federal SAFE Act, the Federal Truth in Lending Act, State Loan Originator Regulation, and Manufactured Housing Related? December 2015
• Promoting Resident Ownership of Communities, January 2009
• Protecting Fundamental Freedoms in Communities, September 2008

Military Personnel

• Servicemembers, Veterans, and Forced Arbitration: How the New Consumer Protection Financial Bureau Rule Enhances the Military Lending Act, September 2017
  

Older Consumers

• Helping Older Homeowners Recover from Natural Disasters, June 2018
• Priorities for Consumers with HECM Reverse Mortgages, September 2015

Overdraft Loans

• The CFPB’s Prepaid Card Rule Benefits Financial Institutions, Prepaid Card Companies, and Employers, April 2017
• Common Sense from the Common Law: Why a Longstanding Legal Doctrine Supports Limiting Bank Overdraft Fees to a “Reasonable and Proportional” Standard, April 2013
• 300% Bank Payday Loans Spreading, August 2011
• Features of a Safe Basic Banking or Prepaid Card Account, December 2010

Payday Loans

• Early ‘Wage Access: A Good Option for Workers or a Fintech Payday Loan?, March 2020
• OCC’s Short-Term, Small Dollar Lending Bulletin: Vague Guidelines Leave the Devil to the Details, July 2018
• What is Operation Choke Point? Stopping Banks and Payment Processors from Helping Scammers Raid Your Bank Account, September 2015
• Why Cap Small Loans at 36%?, April 2013

Payment Fraud

• What is Operation Choke Point? Stopping Banks and Payment Processors from Helping Scammers Raid Your Bank Account, September 2015

Preemption

• The Role of the States under the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010, December 2010
• OCC Ignores Dodd-Frank Act’s Repeal of 2004 Preemption Regulations, May 2011

Racial Justice and Equal Economic Opportunity

• A Looming Crisis: Black Communities at Greatest Risk of Covid-19 Foreclosure, July 2020
• The CFPB and Other Federal Agencies Should Adopt Strong Language Access Protections for Homeowners and Other Consumers, May 2016
• Past Imperfect: How Credit Scores and Other Analytics “Bake In” and Perpetuate Past Discrimination, May 2016
• Racial Disparities in Auto Loan Markups State-by-State Data, June 2015

Regulatory Reform and Consumer Financial Protection Bureau

• Racial Disparities in Auto Loan Markups State-by-State Data, June 2015
• Racial Disparities in Auto Lending: A State-by-State Reminder Why Auto Dealers Must Be Subject to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, May 2010
• Recommendations to the CFPB Regarding Debt Collection Problems, April 2013
• The Role of the States under the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010, December 2010
• The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Should Rein in Mortgage Servicers’ Use of Force-Placed Insurance, May 2012
• Hurdle for Challengers to CFPB Recess Appointment Consumer Bureau Had Full Power With or Without a Director, February 2012
• Consumer Protection and Nonbanks: A Snapshot, March 2010
• Nonbank Consumer Financial Protection Enforcement Cannot Be Left to the FTC, March 2010
• Gaps in State UDAP Laws, Attorney General Authority, Will Hinder CFPA Effectiveness, March 2010
• Glaring Lack of Enforcement in Consumer Protection Proposals Could Make Matters Worse, Not Better, March 2010
• Regulatory Reform and Consumer Protection: Hold Wrongdoers Accountable to the Consumers They Harm, November 2009

Robocalls and Telemarketing

• Digital Divide: Millions of Americans Have Limited or No Meaningful Access to the Internet, August 2019

Servicemembers, Veterans, and Forced Arbitration

• Servicemembers, Veterans, and Forced Arbitration: How the New Consumer Protection Financial Bureau Rule Enhances the Military Lending Act, September 2017

Student Loans

• Congress Must Provide Relief to Defaulted Student Loan Borrowers; Recommendations for Higher Education Act Reauthorization, March 2020
• Three Tax Fixes to Improve the Federal Student Aid Program (NCLC and TICAS), March 2020
• The Dark Side of Payroll Withholding to Repay Student Loans, February, 2019
• Student Loan Relief after a Disaster: Your Guide to Temporary and Long-Term Relief Options, January 2018
• Defend the Department of Education’s Borrower Defense Rule, January 2017
• Stop Taking the Earned Income Tax Credit from Struggling Student Loan Borrowers, October 2016
• Making Federal Student Loan Servicing Work for Borrowers, November 2014
• Making Student Loan Servicing Work for Borrowers, June 2014
• The Dangers of Parent PLUS Loans, January 2014
• Ensuring that Student Loan Death and Disability Discharges Do Not Result in a Tax Penalty
• Restore The Bankruptcy Fresh Start for Student Loan Borrowers
• The Truth About Student Loans and the Undue Hardship Discharge, April 2013
• Relief for Private Student Loan Borrowers, April 2013
• Relief for Financially Distressed Government Student Loan Borrowers: Provide Full Rehabilitation Relief
  
• Create a Meaningful Default Measurement
  
• Stop Collectors from Gouging Student Loan Borrowers on the Taxpayer Dime
  
• Equity for Government Student Loan Borrowers: Restore a Fair and Reasonable Statute of Limitations
  

Taxes

• 2020 Tax Season: More Delays and Higher Costs for Struggling Taxpayers, Jan. 2020

Unfair & Deceptive Acts & Practices

• What is a Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) Loan? September 2016

Utilities

• How Victims of Crime and Domestic Violence Survivors in Massachusetts Can Receive Discounted Voice and Data Service through the Federal Lifeline Program, May 2019
• Assisting Massachusetts Victims of Crime and Domestic Violence Survivors Who are Having Problems Establishing a New Account or Paying Utility Bills, May 2019
• Model Utility Consumer Protections When Natural Disasters Strike, August 2018
• How the Lifeline Program Can Help Vulnerable Consumers Connect to Voice and Internet Service after a Natural Disaster, March 2018