COVID and Pandemics Archives

National Consumer Law Center Advocate Slams Trump Administration Credit Reporting Guidance for Giving Relief to Creditors and Credit Bureaus But Not Consumers During COVID-19 Pandemic

April 1, 2020

Boston – Today, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau issued a policy guidance outlining the “responsibilities” of credit bureaus and furnishers (i.e., creditors and debt collectors) during the COVID-19 pandemic. The following is a statement in response from Chi Chi Wu, staff attorney at the National Consumer Law Center: “The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) utterly…

U.S. Treasury Must Protect Stimulus Payments From Garnishment by Debt Collectors

April 1, 2020

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: APRIL 1, 2020 National Consumer Law Center contact: Jan Kruse ([email protected]) Washington, D.C. – The U.S. Department of the Treasury must act immediately to ensure that the stimulus payments about to go out to millions of Americans are available for food and necessities and are not grabbed by debt collectors, according to…

COVID-19 Crisis: Advocates Call for U.S. Governors to Take Immediate Action to Ensure Residents are Protected from Utility Shut Offs

March 27, 2020

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 27, 2020 National Consumer Law Center Contacts: Jan Kruse ([email protected]) Boston – Advocates at the National Consumer Law Center (NCLC) called on governors across the nation to take immediate action pursuant to their authority granted under each state’s emergency management act to ensure utility customers remain connected to essential electric, gas, water,…

Senate COVID-19 Stimulus Bill is a Start but Falls Far Short for Families, Students, and the Nation’s Most Vulnerable

March 26, 2020

Washington, D.C. – Late yesterday, the U.S. Senate passed a $2 trillion stimulus bill to assist businesses and families in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis. The package includes some helpful aid but it falls short in several critical consumer protection areas. “While the Senate package contains some first steps to relieve the economic crisis,…

Advocates: HUD Must Do Much More to Protect Older Reverse Mortgage Borrowers in the Coronavirus Epidemic

March 24, 2020

Washington, D.C. – The National Consumer Law Center, Americans for Financial Reform Education Fund, and 40 other groups sent a letter today to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) seeking stronger protections for reverse mortgage borrowers in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The agency has announced a 60-day halt on foreclosures of…

Trump Administration’s plan to pause student loan payments is woefully insufficient

March 20, 2020

BOSTON―Today, advocates warn that the plan announced by the U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos to allow borrowers with federally held student loans the option to suspend their payments falls far short of what is needed in this national crisis. Statement by Persis Yu, director of the National Consumer Law Center’s Student Loan Borrower Assistance…

Advocates Praise Senators for Bold Student Loan Principles

March 19, 2020

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 19, 2020 National Consumer Law Center Contact: Jan Kruse at [email protected] Boston – Today, U.S. Senators Schumer, Murray, Brown, and Warren introduced a proposal outlining their plan to protect the financial interests of millions of student loan borrowers during the COVID-19 pandemic by cancelling borrowers’ student loan payments and protecting defaulted…

Advocates Applaud Halt to Foreclosures and Bills to Stabilize Homeownership and Protect Credit Reports but Highlight Need for Further Relief During Pandemic

March 19, 2020

Boston – National Consumer Law Center advocates praised recent measures taken by the federal government to help homeowners remain in their homes and to protect their credit scores but said more needs to be done. The foreclosure relief announced yesterday in response to the COVID-19 pandemic by the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) and the Federal…

Covid 19: What the U.S. Dept. of Education, Lenders and Student Loan Borrowers Should Do Now

March 13, 2020

Boston – As concerns continue to grow about the spread of the new coronavirus (COVID-19), policymakers must act to protect those who are most economically vulnerable and to empower them with the financial safety net needed to follow public health precautions. One area where the federal government should act is in ensuring that the federal student…

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