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Category Archives: Consumer Law News

Obama May Compromise on Consumer Agency to Pass Financial Regulation

Published on March 1, 2010 by Robert A. Kraft

The Obama administration is no longer insisting on the creation of a stand-alone consumer protection agency as a central element of the plan to remake regulation of the financial system, according to an article in the Washington Post. The article is lengthy, but interesting and important. Here are the opening paragraphs:
In hopes of quick congressional [...]

New Credit Card Rules Take Effect Today

Published on February 22, 2010 by Robert A. Kraft

As many people know, today is the effective date of the largest section of the new federal law regarding credit cards, and especially the parts governing what the credit card companies can do and say. This excellent page of official information is from the government Web site of the Federal Reserve:
The Federal Reserve’s new rules for [...]

Consumer Alert: FinallyFast.com

Published on December 22, 2009 by Kathleen Munden

As many of you in the Dallas area may have seen lately, a company called “FinallyFast” is heavily advertising on television. Their product is a program that they promise will speed up your computer by clearing out the junk files that accumulate on computers over time.
You would think that as a bankruptcy lawyer, I would [...]

Beware Credit Card Changes As You Charge Into Holiday Shopping

Published on December 10, 2009 by Robert A. Kraft

As Dallas bankruptcy lawyers we see far too many clients who have gotten into financial trouble by misusing their credit cards. Pamela Yip, the personal finance columnist for the Dallas Morning News had an excellent article recently on the hazards of using credit cards for holiday shopping. The gist of the article is that there [...]

Fannie Mae Introduces “Deed For Lease” Program

Published on November 6, 2009 by Kathleen Munden

Home foreclosure is one of the biggest fears our Dallas and Fort Worth bankruptcy clients face. Potential foreclosure is often the triggering factor in causing people to contact a Dallas bankruptcy attorney. Now the federal government has taken a small step forward in helping homeowners attempt to avoid foreclosure.
In a bid to avoid an overload [...]

Top 10 List of Consumer Complaints

Published on October 13, 2009 by Kathleen Munden

According to the National Association of Attorneys General, the top three topics for consumer complaints to state attorney general offices are debt collection, auto sales, and home repair/construction. Complaints regarding credit cards tied for fourth place with complaints regarding goods and services provided over the internet.
Complaints concerning predatory lending and mortgage practices were sixth, with [...]

Pre-Paid Utility Meters Pose Danger to Consumer Rights

Published on October 9, 2009 by Kathleen Munden

Traditionally, utility service has been extended on credit, remained connected until a serious delinquency occurred, and would not be disconnected during severe weather or where elderly  or sick individuals were in the household. Pre-paid meters are now being introduced in several states, including Texas, and require cash up front to obtain and maintain service. When [...]

Housing Crash Not Yet Over

Published on October 6, 2009 by Kathleen Munden

Amherst Securities Group analysts predict that the crash in U.S. home prices will probably resume because about 7 million properties that are likely to be seized by lenders have yet to hit the market. The “huge shadow inventory” reflects mortgages already being foreclosed upon or now delinquent and likely to be, which compares to 1.27 [...]

Option ARMs Expected to Lead Next Wave of Foreclosures

Published on September 3, 2009 by Kathleen Munden

Since February 2009, default and foreclosure rates on option adjustable rate mortgages have passed those of subprime mortgages, which led the initial wave of foreclosures. Option ARMS accounted for $750 billion in mortgages between 2004 and 2007, and they remain at risk, especially because many are not eligible for refinancing.
About one-third of option ARMS are [...]

“Cash For Clunkers” Program Deemed a Success

Published on August 31, 2009 by Kathleen Munden

The Transportation Department states that the Cash For Clunkers program succeeded in putting 690,114 more fuel-efficient vehicles on the nation’s roads. The entire $3 billion dedicated to the program was spent in an effort to retire older gas-guzzlers and stimulate vehicle sales.
One auto analyst called the program a success, after his research showed that [...]

Fewer Delinquent Mortgage Borrowers Are Catching Up

Published on August 26, 2009 by Kathleen Munden

The Wall Street Journal has reported that homeowners who have fallen behind on their mortgages are much less likely to catch up again than in previous years. The report from Fitch Ratings focused on mortgages that were packaged into securities for sale to investors, and excluded loans that were guaranteed by government-backed agencies and those [...]

What Will the New Credit Card Legislation Do For You?

Published on July 28, 2009 by Kathleen Munden

On May 22, 2009, President Obama signed into law the Credit Card Accountability, Responsibility, and Disclosure Act. As noted in our blog article on July 28, 2009, certain provisions of that act go into effect in 2010 concerning the disclosures that must be made on credit card statements. Other provisions that regulate how credit [...]

Arbitration Awards in Jeopardy After AAA, NAF Withdrawals

Published on July 24, 2009 by Robert A. Kraft

In a blog at Lawyers USA, Sylvia Hsieh wrote, “In a stunning turn of events, the kingpin of consumer debt arbitration, the National Arbitration Forum, has been knocked out of the consumer debt business amidst allegations of consumer fraud, throwing into jeopardy hundreds of thousands of arbitration awards.” The ink “was barely dry on the [...]

Democrats Step Up Fight for Consumer Financial Protection Agency

Published on July 23, 2009 by Robert A. Kraft

The Wall Street Journal reports Democrats “are stepping up the fight” over the proposed Consumer Financial Protection Agency “amid evidence that business groups are making headway in their campaign against the proposal.” Top White House officials and congressional Democrats “pressed their case” for the new agency on Wednesday, “hoping to refocus the debate on the [...]

Credit Card Companies Racing To Increase Profits Before Reform Legislation Becomes Law

Published on July 19, 2009 by Kathleen Munden

Even though Congress passed sweeping credit card reform legislation this month, it does not go into effect for almost a year. That gives credit card companies plenty of time to devise new methods for squeezing profits out of consumers while they still have free rein.
For instance, JP Morgan Chase recently raised minimum payments on many [...]

Texas Attorney General Website Offers Valuable Consumer Information

Published on July 14, 2009 by Kathleen Munden

The Attorney General is the official in the State of Texas who is responsible for protecting consumers and businesses by enforcing the Deceptive Trade Practices Act and other consumer and business protection legislation. The website of the Office of the Attorney General contains a wealth of information for consumers, along with complaint forms, hotline numbers, [...]

Banks Vow to Fight Consumer Protection Agency

Published on July 6, 2009 by Kathleen Munden

Banking lobbyists are already working to curb or eliminate the Consumer Financial Protection Agency proposed by President Obama. The Agency could be empowered to curtail or ban a host of lucrative bank practices, such as ballooning mortgages, excessive credit card interest, and surprise overdraft fees.
The Associated Press reports that the Obama administration believes such safeguards [...]

Change to Foreclosure Law to Benefit Renters

Published on June 23, 2009 by Robert A. Kraft

The House and Senate have each passed bills providing that any current lease survives a foreclosure unless the new owner intends to live in the property. Currently, in many states, a landlord has no obligation to notify tenants of pending foreclosure actions, and a renter’s lease becomes void the moment a foreclosure sale is completed. [...]

Obama Administration to Propose Creation of New Consumer Financial Protection Agency

Published on June 17, 2009 by Robert A. Kraft

McClatchy news bureau reported, “The Obama administration is proposing the broadest changes in financial regulation since the Great Depression, calling for the elimination of some bank regulators and giving the Treasury Department and Federal Reserve vast new authority.” Among the changes, the administration “will propose creating a special commission that would regulate consumer credit, watching [...]

1st Quarter 2009 Wiped Out $1.3 Trillion for Americans

Published on June 12, 2009 by Robert A. Kraft

Today’s Washington Post has a rather frightening article about the effect, to date, of the recession on U.S. consumers. Here are the opening paragraphs of the story:
The brute force of the recession earlier this year turned back the clock on Americans’ personal wealth to 2004 and wiped out a staggering $1.3 trillion as home values [...]