A large debt collection company in the United States was recently accused of violating federal consumer protection laws. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau filed a proposed order that, if entered by the court, would require the company to pay over $12 million to consumers affected by what the CFPB claims are illegal debt collection practices, as well as a civil penalty of $12 million.
Total consumer debt hit a fresh new high in the first quarter of 2023, pushing past $17 trillion even amid a sharp pullback in home borrowing. The total for borrowing across all categories hit $17.05 trillion, an increase of nearly $150 billion, or 0.9% during the January-to-March period, the New York Federal Reserve reported Monday. That took total indebtedness up about $2.9 trillion from the pre-Covid period ended in 2019.
WASHINGTON—Acting Comptroller of the Currency Michael J. Hsu today testified before the U.S. House of Representatives’ Committee on Financial Services on the agency’s actions and responses to recent market stress and how the agency is ensuring that national banks and federal savings associations operate in a safe, sound, and fair manner.
The Federal Trade Commission is sending payments totaling more than $3.3 million to customers of Passport Auto, a Washington D.C.-area auto dealer. In October 2022, the FTC charged Passport with adding hundreds, or even thousands, of dollars in illegal junk fees to car prices and for discriminating against Black and Latino consumers by charging them higher fees and financing costs.
On May 8, the Maryland governor signed HB 686 to eliminate a requirement that collection agencies and certain non-depository financial institutions must maintain separate licenses for branch locations. The Act now allows such entities to conduct business at multiple licensed locations under a single license.
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