Press Release Archive

2018

February

27

• Data insecurity and data protection (Consumer Action examines whether U.S. consumers stand to benefit from new EU data protection laws). As consumers do and store more and more online, the threat of data breaches and privacy lapses is ever-present. Americans’ privacy rights are dictated

06

• Consumer advocates argue for a strong, independent CFPB (Agency’s independence is necessary to its mission, groups tell Appellate court). For Immediate Release: Feb. 6, 2018 WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s (CFPB) independence from external political influence is crucial

01

• Transfer of CFPB consumer complaints unit offers no clear benefit. The following statement can be attributed jointly to Americans for Financial Reform, Consumer Action and U.S. PIRG: This week, Office of Management and Budget

January

31

• Consumers win appeal for CFPB independence. Consumers scored a big win today when an appeals court ruled that the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s (CFPB) structure as an independent agency

2017

December

08

• Consumer advocates file in support of acting CFPB director (Agency’s independence is necessary to its mission). The U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s (CFPB) independence from external political influence is crucial to the agency’s mission of protecting

November

14

• Groups fight FCC Chair's plan to 'effectively destroy' low-income LIfeline (Consumer, rural and Native American voices sound the alarm). Groups push back at a plan by Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai to bar "non-facilities providers"—wireless resellers—from the low-income Lifeline phone subsidy program. In doing so, the FCC would knock out four of the five biggest Lifeline wireless providers providing an estimated 75 percent of wireless Lifeline accounts.

July

25

• Consumer Action condemns the House's vote to repeal class actions. The U.S. House of Representatives passed a resolution (H.J. Res. 111) today to repeal the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) rule to restore

20

• Consumer Action opposes Congress's attack on class actions. Members of both the U.S. House and Senate took a hatchet to consumer protection today by introducing Congressional Review Act (CRA) resolutions to

May

31

• Poll highlights attitudes about data usage for financial inclusion. Consumer Action finds most agree that rent and utility records could be useful in widening availability of credit, but 96 percent oppose using social media or

March

08

• Consumer protections at risk (Consumer Action highlights recent consumer gains now in the cross hairs). Consumer Action News reviews many of the gains made in recent months to protect consumers’ personal safety, online privacy, dispute resolution rights and more. However, many of these critical consumer protections are in danger of disappearing under a new administration and GOP-controlled Congress.

February

03

• New regime plans to 'trump' consumer protections. Statement by Linda Sherry, Director, National Priorities, Consumer Action President Trump’s announcement today to dismantle the Dodd-Frank financial protection law and cripple the

January

10

• Filling the financial information gap in limited English communities. January 10, 2017—When you don’t speak or understand English well, applying for a car loan or mortgage can be hazardous to your financial

2016

September

30

• One million reasons why consumers need the CFPB. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) hit the one million mark this week. The Bureau has received more than one million individual consumer complaints about

28

• Consumer Action joins White House campaign to 'Lock Down Your Login' (Advice to help consumers enable the strongest authentication tools for online accounts). Consumer Action joins a new campaign, “Lock Down Your Login,” to urge Americans to limit their personal cybercrime risk and better protect their key social media, email and bank accounts by enabling strong authentication.

August

30

• Consumer Action takes a closer look at a most valuable consumer tool (Report examines CFPB complaints, public data and company responses). Consumer Action releases a study of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's complaint database and offers tips and advice on how to find information in, and make the best use of, the public complaints submitted by consumers.

July

29

• Consumers get the last word on complaints (Consumer Action applauds CFPB’s latest move to improve its complaint system). The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) is adding a five star system ratings scale to its complaint process to give consumers an efficient way to

28

• CFPB proposes to strengthen debt collection rules (Consumer Action says proposal is step in right direction). July 28, 2016—The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau today released its proposed rules to limit debt collection abuses by third-party debt collectors and others covered by

21

• CFPB celebrates its fifth anniversary. Consumer Action's statement on the CFPB after five years

June

03

• Payday, car title loan rule could save U.S. consumers millions (Rule proposes regulating predatory lending that traps consumers in a cycle of debt ). The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) unveils new proposed rule to rein in payday and car title lending.

May

26

• Fair treatment for homeowners with limited English proficiency. Consumer Action, Americans for Financial Reform and coalition partners urge regulators, in a newly released paper, to make it easier for limited English proficiency (LEP)

18

• Congress debates consumers' right to a fair trial (Congress asks: Should consumers be able to hold corporations accountable when they break the law?). WASHINGTON, DC—Today, the U.S. House Financial Services Subcommittee on Financial Institutions and Consumer Credit will hold a hearing to consider whether the

05

• Financial firms can’t stop you from joining class action lawsuits (Consumers will be able to join together to hold corporations accountable when they break the law). The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's rule would limit the financial industry’s use of forced arbitration—an abusive practice in which corporations bury “ripoff clauses” in the fine print of take- it-or-leave-it contracts to block consumers from challenging predatory practices such as hidden fees, fraud and other illegal behavior.

April

07

• Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, we've got your back! (Advocates stand with the CFPB as Senate Banking Committee prepares to grill Bureau's director). Consumer advocates rally behind Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Director Richard Cordray as he delivers the Bureau's Semi-Annual Report to the Senate Banking Committee. Consumer Action and its allies fear a reprise of the March 16 House Financial Services Committee hearing, which turned ugly as CFPB foes grilled Cordray about the agency.

January

20

• Poll shows strong support for regulation of paid tax preparers. A coalition of consumer and community organizations and advocates draws attention to the findings of a national poll that demonstrates broad public support for new consumer protections to prevent errors and fraud during the tax preparation process.

• Groups call for safe data practices, enforcement by FCC. WASHINGTON, DC—Today, 59 U.S. consumer advocacy, privacy and digital rights organizations submitted a letter to Federal Communications Commission Chairman Tom Wheeler calling for