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The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) sends 20,000 complaints to companies for responses every week. “I am proud of the CFPB’s work in getting consumers the resolutions they deserve, often through referrals from local organizations, Congressional offices and many others,” CFPB Director Rohit Chopra said Thursday (Nov. 30) in his opening statement during the bureau’s Semiannual Report to Congress.

The Ombudsman’s Office is an independent, impartial, and confidential resource that assists consumers, financial entities, consumer or trade groups, and others in informally resolving process issues with the CFPB.

Today, the California Privacy Protection Agency released draft automated decisionmaking technology (ADMT) regulations that define important new protections related to businesses’ use of these technologies. The proposed regulations would implement consumers’ right to opt out of, and access information about, businesses’ uses of ADMT, as provided for by the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA). The Agency Board will provide feedback on these proposed regulations at the December 8, 2023 board meeting, and the Agency expects to begin formal rulemaking next year.

BOSTON — Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell has announced that her office has proposed regulations to prohibit hidden “junk fees,” which companies use to deceptively hike prices on consumers above advertised prices. The proposed regulations would require businesses to clearly disclose the total price of a product at the time it is presented to consumers, provide clear and accessible information on whether fees are optional or required, and simplify the process for cancelling trial offers and recurring charges, amongst other rules.

Recently, the White House announced some initiatives the Administration is undertaking to improve the lives of the military and veteran communities. The FTC participates in several of these efforts, including the VSAFE task force that’s working to help veterans and their families avoid scams and other deceptive practices.