Debt collection affects millions of Massachusetts residents. In 2014, the Urban Institute reported that nearly 1 in 4 Massachusetts residents with credit reports had a debt in collection due to non-payment of a bill and that the average amount of the debt was $4,602.1
Conventional analysis of auto finance tends to ignore the number of families affected and their demographics. It also tends to obscure the rate at which new car financings are originated in comparison to other consumer debt. While economists, policymakers, and others realize the overall role that auto finance plays in the United States’ financial landscape, the scale of the impact of auto finance on those with low and moderate income, people of color, and younger people has received less attention. This report looks at existing data in new ways to better understand the true scale of auto finance for low- and moderate-income families.
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The undersigned consumer protection, civil rights, and legal services groups write to express our significant concerns with the outline of proposed regulations on debt collection issued by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau on July 28, 2016. The proposal represents a missed opportunity to fundamentally improve protections for consumers victimized by predatory debt collection practices.
A collaborative three-part initiative by the National Consumer Law Center and Harvard Law School’s Criminal Justice Policy Program. *** In July 2016, Philando Castile, an African-American man, was shot and killed by a police officer in Minnesota after being stopped ostensibly for driving with a cracked taillight. The shooting spurred investigation into prior interactions the…
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OVERVIEW In a responsible loan market, the lenders’ profits are closely aligned to the successful repayment of the credit. Yet high-rate installment lending can lead to asymmetrical incentives:As long as the borrower pays long enough before defaulting, a high-rate installment loan will be profitable. If the borrower makes even half the payments on a longer term high-rate installment…
Civil legal aid organizations provide critical front-line services for low-income and elderly people across the country facing debt collection activity. Debt collection is a pervasive part of life in the United States. In 2014, 12 million adults had non-mortgage debts reported as past due on their credit reports and 77 million consumers had nonmortgage debts…
Credit reports and scores reflect stunning racial disparities. Study after study has found that Black and Latino communities have lower credit scores as a group than whites and Asians. The racial disparities in credit scores are due to deep structural factors, created by centuries of intentional and legalized discrimination as well as present-day biases.
This National Consumer Law Center report reviews deferred interest credit card promotions, a deceptive practice that is growing. The practice should be banned due to its unfairness, especially as financially vulnerable consumers are most likely to fall prey to the trap. Executive Summary “Deferred interest” promotions on credit cards are a trap for the unwary.…
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This National Consumer Law Center survey analyzes the strengths and gaps of the statutes in 50 states and Washington, D.C. that regulate installment loans, a market that is expected to grow as restrictions on payday loans increase.
Prepaid cards are prepaid – a safe way to control spending for consumers who have had trouble with overdraft fees, have blemished credit, and may have lost their bank account. Except for prepaid cards sold by payday lenders. The largest payday lenders sell prepaid cards with unusual features that enable payday loans and profit from…
Communication technologies have changed considerably since the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) was first adopted in 1977. Despite technology changes, traditional problems of abusive communications that prompted passage of the FDCPA remain rampant.
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