News

2021

January

27

• Democrats turn to quick action on Biden covid relief bill. Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) said Tuesday that the Senate could vote as soon as next week on a budget bill setting the stage for party-line passage of President Biden’s $1.9

• Muzzled under Trump, Consumer Bureau to renew tough industry oversight. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the watchdog created after the 2008 financial meltdown and largely muzzled in the Trump era, is poised to start barking again. The agency will focus first on enforcing legal protections for

26

• What happens when you click "agree"?. The same legalese that can ban Donald Trump from Twitter can bar users from joining class-action lawsuits. It’s time to fix the fine print.

• Seniors face shrinking nest eggs during pandemic. Senior citizens are increasingly finding themselves with new responsibilities and a lot of hard choices because of the coronavirus pandemic. Those who have savings have to decide if they should dip into their accounts early,

22

• The tech that will invade our lives in 2021. Before the coronavirus transformed our lives, the lists of tech to watch each year were often dominated by whiz-bang gizmos like smart speakers and curved televisions. But the pandemic has pushed us to embrace useful

• Complaints about movers soar during pandemic. Mover-related hassles, including some movers holding people's belongings hostage unless they receive more money, aren't new. I first wrote about the problem in 2007. But the danger to consumers has grown more pronounced during

21

• New debt collection rule is a mixed bag for consumer rights. Bad news: New debt collection rule permits unlimited electronic access to consumers. Good news: It may eliminate "debt parking" by forcing debt collectors to reach consumers before posting debts on their credit reports.

• Black Americans suffered the most under Trump-era CFPB, study finds. The paper, from two Boston College researchers, tracked consumer complaints, and the follow-ups recorded by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Their findings show that in January 2017 — even before President Trump  made any changes

• Consumer bureau director resigns at Biden's request. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) Director Kathy Kraninger resigned at the request of the newly sworn-in President Biden, clearing the way for his nominee to lead the powerful regulatory agency. Kraninger’s resignation gives

• Debt collection (Winter 2020-2021). In this issue, Consumer Action helps consumers learn how to exercise their debt collection rights: to demand information about a debt, stop a debt collector from contacting them, and avoid resurrecting debts that are too old to be sued over. The issue also discusses other key aspects of the laws and regulations designed to protect people being targeted by debt collectors, and includes a sample validation request and a communications preference letter you can customize and send to debt collectors.

20

• Five ways to protect yourself from housing scams. Housing scams are everywhere. Three common scams are lender impersonation scams, foreclosure relief scams and rental scams. Here are five ways you can protect yourself from them.

• Yellen outlines economic priorities; Republicans draw battle lines. Janet L. Yellen, the Treasury secretary nominee, said at her confirmation hearing that the U.S. economy needed more help to get through the pandemic.

19

• Joe Biden pledges to address pay, systemic racism. A key pledge in President-elect Joe Biden’s plan to build the nation “back better’’ is to be bolder in addressing the systemic racism that has hindered the advancement of Black

18

• Biden choices for CFPB, SEC pivot to robust enforcement. President-elect Joe Biden is set to nominate Rohit Chopra, the former student loan ombudsman for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, to lead the consumer finance agency. Biden will tap Gary Gensler, the former chairman of

15

• Federal rent relief is coming. Thestimulus law passed by Congress in late December includes $25 billion in rental relief funds, with an estimated $2.6 billion coming to California. Here are some things you should know about that money.

• La pérdida de empleos por COVID-19 agravará la falta de vivienda en Los Ángeles para 2023, señala un nuevo informe. Las pérdidas masivas de empleos causadas por la pandemia de COVID-19 en todo el país, dejarán a decenas de miles de trabajadores con bajos salarios sin techo durante los

14

• Biden set to call for big spending on stimulus and vaccines. Money to complete $2,000 direct payments to individuals and aid to small businesses and local and state governments, components that Mr. Biden has stressed in recent weeks, will be part of the initial package, Mr. Deese

13

• $1 fines from CFPB were common under Trump. That'll change.. It’s a virtual certainty that President-elect Joe Biden will replace President Trump’s appointee as CFPB director, Kathy Kraninger, with someone more focused on defending consumers than business interests.

12

• Options for struggling landlords. Critical eviction moratoriums don’t offer much relief for mom-and-pop landlords who still have to pay to keep their buildings operating.

07

• A Democratic Senate could help advance Biden’s agenda. Democrats won control of the U.S. Senate, giving them majorities in both houses of Congress and the presidency. Here's a look at some top agenda items. Economy: Biden has laid