News

2019

March

14

• Consumer protection wanes under Trump, reports find. Tasked with protecting Americans against harmful financial practices, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has taken a less aggressive approach under the Trump administration, according to a pair of new reports. Overall enforcement activity has

13

• Self-employed or a ‘gig’ worker? Getting a mortgage got easier. As of last week, the two largest sources of mortgage money in the United States—investors Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae—have deployed remarkable new technology that automates underwriting for applicants who are

• Lawmakers blast Wells Fargo chief over scandals. House lawmakers on Tuesday skewered the head of Wells Fargo as he argued that the bank has made vast improvements and turned the page in the aftermath of scandals that led to a slew of

• Elizabeth Warren torches CFPB head for not protecting consumers. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) delivered a scathing attack on the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) on Tuesday, describing current and former directors Kathy Kraninger and Mick Mulvaney as having turned their backs on consumers&mdash

11

• Homeownership is back in. A funny thing happened on the way to the United States becoming a nation of renters: people started buying homes again. New data indicate that in 2016, in defiance of myriad prognostications, the decade-long

07

• CFPB must live up to its name (Protecting consumers should not be a sideline but a full-time job for the regulator tasked with consumer protection). As the U.S. House Financial Services Committee hears the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's semi-annual report, Consumer Action calls on the Bureau's new director to stick with protecting consumers, not enabling companies predatory practices.

• How federal disaster money favors the rich. Disasters are becoming more common in America. In the early and mid-20th century, fewer than 20 percent of U.S. counties experienced a disaster each year. Today, it's about 50 percent.  And those disasters

05

• The new 30 something. Have you or haven’t you cut the financial cord with your family?

01

• The ‘heartbreaking’ decrease in black homeownership. Racism and rollbacks in government policies are taking their toll.

• Oregon to become first state to impose rent control. Oregon is poised to become the first state in the nation to impose statewide limits on how much landlords can raise rents after state lawmakers passed a sweeping measure on Tuesday.

• Student loans prevent 20% of Millennials from buying a home. About one in five millennials say that student loan debt is holding them back from homeownership, according to a survey commissioned by Bankrate.com. But, maybe that’s not such a bad thing because

February

25

• Waters backs ‘undermined’ staff facing ‘anti-consumer action’. One of the more egregious examples of President Trump’s attempt to dismantle parts of the federal government has been the ax taken to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). Consumer protection in the

22

• The $15 minimum wage saves lives. A living wage is an antidepressant. It is a sleep aid. A diet. A stress reliever. It is a contraceptive, preventing teenage pregnancy. It prevents premature death. It shields children from neglect.

• Latinos denuncian: ‘¡Nos estafaron!’. Señalan que les prometieron ayuda para convertir sus garages en habitaciones de renta pero que nunca vieron resultados Un grupo de 40 residentes, en su mayoría latinos, del sur de Los Á

21

• States, consumer groups blast CFPB’s fintech protections. State attorneys general, consumer advocates, community activists, and banking regulators are criticizing proposed legal protections for banks and technology firms that develop “innovative” financial products. The protections would come from the Consumer Financial

• Which is more accurate: Zillow’s Zestimate or Redfin’s Estimate?. When you type in a home’s street address to obtain an online valuation from the two biggest players in the field — Zillow’s Zestimate or Redfin’s Estimate tools —

• Consumers still prefer paper bills, but can they make you go digital?. Paper may be vilified in green offices, but it’s still king at home when it comes to how we receive our bills.  Despite the digital revolution, most Americans prefer to get their

20

• Wall Street, with big tax breaks, sets sights on distressed main streets. More than 80 of the funds have sprung up since January 2018, even though the Trump administration has not finalized regulations governing them. Managers of the funds are seeking to raise huge sums of money by pitching

19

• The biggest economic divides are local. Superstar cities like Washington offer economic advantages in terms of careers. But research shows less populated areas can be better places for parents to help their children get ahead in life, when accounting for housing

15

• Survey finds dangers for thousands in private military housing. Severe mold, asbestos and electrical hazards are among the dangers in private military housing for thousands of service members' families, according to a new survey conducted by the Military Family Advisory Network.