Resources Archive

Maryland Energy Advocates Coalition Working Group Comments on PC59

October 16, 2025

The Maryland Energy Advocates Coalition (MEAC) submitted comments in response to the Maryland Public Service Commission’s October 16, 2025, Notice of Comment and Hearing in Public Conference 59 (PC 59). MEAC has been an active advocate in the Commission’s process to consider adoption of a utility discount rate plan for low-income households in Maryland. MEAC…

The Other Foreclosure Crisis: Property Tax Lien Sales

July 2, 2012

Much attention has been focused rightly on the home mortgage foreclosure crisis. The devastation it has caused individual homeowners, the housing market, and the broader national and international economies is unlike anything experienced since the Great Depression. It is not surprising that some of the same economic conditions that have fueled the mortgage foreclosure crisis…

Comments to HUD on Their Disparate Impact Proposed Rule

February 13, 2026

The proposed rule, which seeks to eliminate the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) disparate impact regulation, will significantly undermine HUD’s enforcement of the Fair Housing Act’s protections against unlawful discrimination, and make it easier for lenders, landlords and other housing providers to evade the law. Victims of discrimination and the advocates and fair…

Letter to Senate Opposing DHS Funding Without Significant ICE Changes and Supporting FEMA Independence and Funding

February 11, 2026

The Honorable Chuck SchumerSenate Minority LeaderU.S. SenateWashington, DC 20510 Minority Leader Schumer, Minority Leader Schumer,We are 93 organizations supporting disaster survivors, working for climate resilience, and/or working in communities impacted by floods, wildfires, hurricanes, extreme heat, winter storms, and other disasters. We are writing to urge Senate Democratic leadership to stop the flow of funds…

Written Testimony to the Kansas House Committee on Judiciary in Support of HB 2754 —The Providing Civil Relief from Coerced Debt Act

February 11, 2026

This testimony provides support for Kansas HB 2754 — An Act Providing Civil Relief from Coerced Debt, a bill that offers a targeted, balanced, and urgently needed response to a form of economic abuse that traps survivors of domestic violence in long-term financial harm—often long after the physical abuse has ended.

Comments in Support of Connecticut Serious Illness Disconnection Protections

February 11, 2026

NCLC submitted these comments to support strong protections from utility disconnection for Connecticut customers with serious or life-threatening illnesses.

Testimony Against Oregon HB 4141

February 10, 2026

This bill will substantially weaken Oregon laws protecting financially strapped consumers and will expose consumers to predation by the “debt resolution services” industry. Debt resolution—more commonly known as debt settlement—is a wolf insheep’s clothing. It advertises relief, but it leaves consumers worse off than before they signed up. Oregon should reject this bill.

Coalition Letter in Support of the Predatory Lending Elimination Act

February 11, 2026

Consumer, faith, civil rights, labor, human rights, and community advocacy groups, urge support for the Predatory Lending Elimination Act (S3793), sponsored in the Senate by Senator Jack Reed. This bill is the solution to the worst practices by predatory lenders in the consumer loan market. By expanding the protections already afforded active-duty service members under…

Safe Deposits: How to Protect Family Bank Accounts from Debt Collectors

February 10, 2026

As debt collection lawsuits surge to pre-pandemic highs, more and more families will see their cash and property seized by debt collectors. All states protect some of a family’s property from seizure by debt collectors to enforce a court ruling for a debt, but in some states the protection is minimal or is so difficult…

The Affordability Problem of Earned Wage Payday Loans

February 10, 2026

Payday loan apps take hundreds of dollars a year from people struggling to make ends meet. The apps claim they are not offering loans, but multiple courts have found otherwise. The apps exacerbate affordability problems, leaving people with depleted paychecks, trapped in a vicious cycle of reborrowing, and facing manipulations that multiply fees: Annual percentage rate limits or…

Joint NCLC-AFSA Letter Opposing Oregon Bill to Weaken Consumer Protections (HB 4141)

February 6, 2026

The National Consumer Law Center and the American Financial Services Association do notagree on everything, but we agree on this: HB 4141 should not pass as written. Many companiesoffering debt resolution services do more harm than good, and HB 4141 would enable rapidproliferation of these kinds of companies and their services in Oregon, displacing legitimate…

States Can Protect Buy Now, Pay Later Borrowers

February 9, 2026

New York has passed the first comprehensive law to protect shoppers who use Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) loans. Some details remain to be fleshed out through regulations, and the law does not address every issue BNPL borrowers may face. But it is a significant step forward and provides a helpful roadmap for other states.…

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