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Study: 99% of Consumers Unaware they are Subject to Forced Arbitration

July 27, 2023

WASHINGTON – A new study confirms that Americans are unaware of how often and to what extent they are stripped of their fundamental rights through prevalent forced arbitration clauses, which are found in the fine print of everyday click-through agreements, terms and conditions and other contracts. Consumers’ lack of understanding points to the need for…

Digital Library: Strict New Limits on Prerecorded Debt Collection Calls Effective July 20

July 20, 2023

Effective July 20, 2023, the FCC has placed strict new limits on the number of prerecorded collection calls that a debt collector can send to a consumer’s landline. Importantly, consumers have powerful remedies for violations (statutory damages of $500 to $1500 per call), because the new FCC rule is promulgated under the Telephone Consumer Protection…

Los Angeles Times: Why all Latino wealth is not equal

July 19, 2023

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…

NPR: Shocked by those extra monthly apartment fees? 3 big rental sites plan to reveal them

July 19, 2023

Originally appearing in NPR on July 19, 2023, Jennifer Ludden covers the Biden administration’s blueprint for a Renters Bill of Rights and the response of three major rental platforms that will start showing extra monthly fees that can surprise tenants. Ludden cites NCLC’s Too Damn High: New Report Examines Role of Junk Fees in Skyrocketing…

USA Today: 'Stop scam calls:' What the federal government is doing to halt illegal robocalls

July 19, 2023

Originally appearing in USA Today on July 19, 2023, Terry Collins discusses Operation Stop Scam Calls, a new campaign intended to make it harder for fraudsters accused of scamming millions of Americans in robocall and telemarketing schemes to contact everyday Americans. The article references NCLC and the Electronic Privacy Information Center’s (EPIC) report, Scam Robocalls:…

Digital Library: Overcoming the Latest Supreme Court Arbitration Decision

July 17, 2023

A June 23 Supreme Court ruling in Coinbase creates yet another impediment to consumer litigation—that even when a consumer defeats an arbitration requirement, if the defendant then pursues an interlocutory appeal of that ruling, discovery and all other aspects of the case are automatically put on hold until that appeal is resolved. This NCLC Digital Library article,…

Biden Administration Takes Aim at Rental Housing Junk Fees

July 19, 2023

WASHINGTON – Today, President Biden will announce a crackdown on rental housing junk fees that undermine housing stability. Citing a recent National Consumer Law Center report, the Biden Administration is calling attention to the significant harm that rental housing junk fees cause to tenants and outlined steps the Administration is taking to curb junk fees.…

Fair Chance in Employment Act Receives Public Hearing; Advocates, Lawmakers to Assert Credit Reports Don’t Predict Job Performance

July 18, 2023

The hearing will begin at 10:30 AM at the State House, Room A-1 and will be available virtually at malegislature.gov BOSTON – Today, the Joint Committee on Labor and Workforce Development will hold a hearing that includes analysis of the Fair Chance in Employment Act (FCEA): S.1144 and H.1434. Together, the bills, filed by Sen.…

NPR: Student loan forgiveness is on the way for more than 800,000 borrowers

July 14, 2023

Originally airing on NPR on July 14, 2023, hosts Adrian Florido and Cory Turner include a soundbite of Abby Shafroth explaining how out of 4 million eligible borrowers, only 32 have has their loans forgiven through the Income-Driven Repayment program.

Bill Barring Employment Discrimination Based on Credit Reports to have Public Hearing TUESDAY, July 18 at 10:30am

July 17, 2023

These bills would ensure that employers in Massachusetts cannot consider an employee’s or job applicant’s credit report in making hiring or employment decisions.

New Action Brings Much-Needed Relief to 800,000+ Student Borrowers; More Help Needed for Borrowers in Default

July 14, 2023

WASHINGTON – Advocates with the National Consumer Law Center’s Student Loan Borrower Assistance Project applaud action today by the Department of Education to begin automatically discharging $39 billion in Federal student loans–helping more than 804,000 borrowers get out from under crushing student debt. But advocates warn more must be done to assist borrowers who’ve fallen…

ProPublica: Senators Call for Further Oversight, Consumer Protections in Contract for Deed Real Estate Transactions

July 12, 2023

Appearing in ProPublica on July 12, 2023, Jessica Lussenhop quotes Sarah Bolling Mancini in coverage of a U.S. Senate subcommittee hearing on alternative home financing deals that leave unwitting buyers financially devastated and unscrupulous sellers free to resell the properties. These financial products are a “costly and harmful detour from homeownership….NCLC estimates that the failure…

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