Resources Archive

Comments filed with the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities re: Docket No. 20-80

May 6, 2022

Consumer Comments to the CFPB Regarding Junk Fees Imposed by Providers of Consumer Financial Products or Services

May 2, 2022

Comments addressing the CFPB’s authority to regulate junk fees and some common themes across different markets.

Fact Sheet Supporting Mass Fair Chance in Housing Act re Credit Scores in Housing

Why we need the Fair Chance in Housing Act (FCHA) to keep credit reports out of housing decisions now. Credit Reports Will Be Negatively Impacted by the COVID Crisis Credit Reports Don’t Predict Current Ability to Pay Credit Reports Are Riddled with Errors Credit Reports Perpetuate Historic Racial Inequities and Injustices

NCLC & NHLP Comments to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Regarding Fees Imposed by Providers of Consumer Financial Products or Services

April 11, 2022

These comments discuss the many junk fees charged to tenants and rental housing applicants. We urge the CFPB to work with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to investigate and prevent the imposition of these junk fees so that they do not end up in the hands of debt collectors, impair renters’ credit reports, and jeopardize…

Comments to CFPB on Junk Fees Charged to Tenants & Rental Housing Applicants

April 11, 2022

Comments to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau re: Docket No. CFPB-2022-0003.

High-Cost Rent-a-Bank Loan Watch List

February 26, 2026

At least 45 states and the District of Columbia (DC) cap rates on at least some installment loans. But high-cost lenders are increasingly using rent-a-bank schemes with a small number of rogue banks, which are not subject to state interest rate limits, to evade state rate caps on installment loans and lines of credit.

Why We Need the Debt Collection Fairness Act

March 9, 2022

In support of An Act Relative to Fairness in Debt Collection (S663/H1168) or the Debt Collection Fairness Act (DCFA) As of December 2020, 19% of Bay Staters had a debt in collection — rising to 35% in communities of color. The economic strain of the pandemic will inevitably result in a tsunami of increased debt…

Group Letter urging the CA Franchise Tax Board to suspend tax refund offsets for collection of state and local debts

March 18, 2022

Our organizations write to ask the Franchise Tax Board (FTB) to immediately suspend all income tax intercepts through July 31, 2022, for non-tax debts owed to state and local governments. The impacts of the COVID-19 public health emergency and resultant economic crises that led to the FTB suspending tax intercepts in 2020 and 2021 have…

What States Can Do to Help Consumers: High Cost Loans

March 15, 2022

The debt trap caused by short-term payday loans is well known. Payday and car title lenders are now increasingly moving into high-cost longer-term installment loans and lines of credit that can be a deeper and longer debt trap. Both short- and longer-term payday and title loans rely on high interest rates and coercive tactics to…

The Racial Health and Wealth Gap: Impact of Medical Debt on Black Families

March 9, 2022

This report discusses the intersections between the racial health gap and racial wealth gap, “charity care” or hospital financial assistance programs, and the harms of aggressive medical debt collection.

Predatory Rent-a-Bank Lending in the United States

This spreadsheet has state-by-state information about which high-cost rent-a-bank lenders are operating in each state. The state-specific issue briefs below have an overview of rent-a-bank lending in these states (updated February 2022): Predatory Rent-a-Bank Lending in Alaska Predatory Rent-a-Bank Lending in Arizona Predatory Rent-a-Bank Lending in Arkansas Predatory Rent-a-Bank Lending in Colorado Predatory Rent-a-Bank Lending in Florida…

Massachusetts Utility Consumer Rights Course

February 19, 2026

In this course, advocates and front-line social service workers who assist low-income, Massachusetts consumers learn the eligibility requirements for utility discounts, how to prevent service from being shut off, how to restore service if it has been terminated, and how to manage past due balances. Throughout the year, NCLC staff periodically offers this free course…

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