National Consumer Law Center

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National Consumer Law Center (NCLC) works for consumer justice and economic security for low-income and other disadvantaged people in the U.S., offering policy analysis and advocacy, publications, litigation, and training Thanks for joining National Consumer Law Center and please visit our websites:

http://www.nclc.org
http://shop.consumerlaw.org/
http://www.studentloanborrowerassistance.org
http://www.workingcarsforworkingfamilies.org
http://www.bankruptcymortgageproject.org

Tomorrow, at Families USA's Advocate of the Year Luncheon, NCLC Senior Attorney Berneta L. Haynes will receive the Healt...
01/23/2025

Tomorrow, at Families USA's Advocate of the Year Luncheon, NCLC Senior Attorney Berneta L. Haynes will receive the Health Equity Advocate award!

The event honors six remarkable individuals who have tirelessly fought for health justice over the past year, and whose advocacy efforts continue to empower communities and help shape the future of equitable healthcare access.

Join the 2025 Health Action Conference to shape the future of healthcare access. Featuring inspiring speakers and interactive sessions, this hybrid event unites advocates for impactful change. Register now for January 23-24 in DC or online and be part of a transformative community!

Pro tip: The onsite lender at the manufactured home dealer isn’t your only option to finance your home. It’s OK to shop ...
01/23/2025

Pro tip: The onsite lender at the manufactured home dealer isn’t your only option to finance your home. It’s OK to shop around, and when you talk to a loan officer, you shouldn’t feel rushed or pressured to buy. Alys Cohen, senior attorney with the National Consumer Law Center, says to trust your gut.

“If you feel like you're being talked into a mortgage you can't afford, then you're being talked into a mortgage you can't afford." via NerdWallet

Manufactured homes provide an essential path to low-cost homeownership — but a new lawsuit raises concerns about alleged predatory lending.

Long-term care is or will be a fact of life for many of us and our loved ones as we age. We all deserve care – whether i...
01/22/2025

Long-term care is or will be a fact of life for many of us and our loved ones as we age. We all deserve care – whether in the home or in a long-term care facility – that meets the highest of standards, enhancing quality of life and ensuring the protection of rights.

NCLC Staff Attorney Anna Anderson joins other national experts and advocates to discuss strategies you can use in the pursuit of quality long-term care in this podcast episode from the National Consumer Voice for Quality Long-Term Care.

Consumer Voice works to empower long-term care residents, their families, and advocates in the pursuit of quality care and services, quality of life, and protection of rights

The National Consumer Law Center remains firmly committed to Dr. King’s vision of a just economy that works for everyone...
01/20/2025

The National Consumer Law Center remains firmly committed to Dr. King’s vision of a just economy that works for everyone, with access to safe and affordable housing, sustainable credit, and education and employment opportunities at its bedrock. We will continue to work together with diverse coalitions and our network of civil rights, legal services, housing advocates, and social justice partners to dismantle systemic racism and pursue equitable economic opportunity.

Every day NCLC works to realize Dr. King’s vision and his call to organize for justice. We know this is not a fight that will be won quickly. But we remain steadfast in our commitment to combating discriminatory housing and financial practices and working toward economic fairness and justice for all people.

The National Consumer Law Center remains firmly committed to Dr. King’s vision of a just economy that works for everyone, with access to safe and affordable housing, sustainable credit, and education and employment opportunities at its bedrock.

Today, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) ordered Equifax, one of the “Big Three ” nationwide consumer cred...
01/17/2025

Today, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) ordered Equifax, one of the “Big Three ” nationwide consumer credit reporting agencies, to pay a $15 million penalty for conducting faulty and inadequate investigations when consumers disputed errors on their credit reports, in violation of the Fair Credit Reporting Act.

“Millions of people have filed complaints with the CFPB to express their frustrations with the major credit reporting agencies,” said Lauren Saunders, associate director of NCLC. “The CFPB is under attack, but this action shows why we need a strong CFPB to stop the credit bureaus from ruining our credit reports and other examples of widespread corporate wrongdoing. The CFPB has returned $12 billion to 29 million people and stands up for ordinary folks when dangerous corporate practices threaten our financial security.”

Today, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) ordered Equifax, one of the “Big Three ” nationwide consumer credit reporting agencies, to pay a $15 million penalty for conducting faulty and inadequate investigations when consumers disputed errors on their credit reports, in violation of ...

“Payday advances, however styled, are loans that must comply with our federal and state lending laws. The Consumer Finan...
01/16/2025

“Payday advances, however styled, are loans that must comply with our federal and state lending laws. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) was right to rescind the 2020 Advisory Opinion that was wrongly being used by fintech payday lenders to claim that their loans are not loans,” said Lauren Saunders, associate director at the National Consumer Law Center. “Workers shouldn't have to pay to be paid, and these so-called earned wage advances are just payday loans in disguise." cc: Center for Responsible Lending

The CFPB found that the 2020 Opinion’s analysis of what constitutes “credit” under TILA was “significantly flawed” and that the Opinion, which was limited to completely free advances, had been misunderstood and misused to support claims that EWAs are not credit.

“While the U.S. Department of Education cannot give these students back the time they lost in low-value programs or year...
01/16/2025

“While the U.S. Department of Education cannot give these students back the time they lost in low-value programs or years already spent suffering under the financial strain of unaffordable debt, yesterday’s actions will ensure that their loans will not continue to cause them financial hardship," said Kyra Taylor, staff attorney at NCLC. "As Congress considers ways to revise the Higher Education Act, we urge it to preserve safety nets that protect students from the burden of loans borrowed based on school lies and deception.”

The Biden administration announced that it will provide $5.75 billion in relief to over 345,880 borrowers with outstanding loans borrowed to attend Ashford University, Drake College of Business, and schools owned by the Center for Excellence in Higher Education (CEHE).

“While we are concerned that soon millions of Americans struggling with student loan debt will face seizure of their wag...
01/16/2025

“While we are concerned that soon millions of Americans struggling with student loan debt will face seizure of their wages, tax refunds, and Social Security benefits for the first time in five years, we are pleased to see the U.S. Department of Education has committed to opening access to more affordable payments for borrowers in default and to protecting borrowers who rely on Social Security from being pushed into poverty as a result of efforts to collect student loan debt,” said Abby Shafroth, co-director of advocacy at the National Consumer Law Center. cc: New America Ed

NCLC and New America Foundation Applaud Protection of Social Security Benefits from Seizure to Collect Student Debt

Medical credit cards with deferred interest often end up hurting people with lower credit scores, according to the Consu...
01/15/2025

Medical credit cards with deferred interest often end up hurting people with lower credit scores, according to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB).

Debt-collection lawsuits often end up with a judgment in favor of the card issuers, says Chi Chi Wu, senior attorney at the National Consumer Law Center. In some cases, Wu says, that allows the credit-card company to garnish the customer’s wages or take money from their bank account. via TIME

Why the growing industry creates problems for patients

“There’s this idea out there that somehow your credit score is a marker of how responsible and moral of a person you are...
01/13/2025

“There’s this idea out there that somehow your credit score is a marker of how responsible and moral of a person you are,” said Chi Chi Wu, a senior attorney at the National Consumer Law Center.

Hiring managers study credit reports to evaluate an applicant’s ethics, and some short-lived dating apps even pledged to accept only users with high scores. In reality, however, your score does not reflect your virtuousness. It’s easier for those with an economic cushion to meet payments, and harder for those without that wiggle room—especially if they have a lower credit score and are charged more for things such as car loans and home mortgages. “𝐈𝐭’𝐬 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐚 𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐜𝐲𝐜𝐥𝐞,” 𝐬𝐚𝐢𝐝 𝐖𝐮. via The Atlantic

Because of course they are.

On Friday, Congresswoman Sarah McBride (DE) introduced her first piece of legislation, a bipartisan bill to crack down o...
01/10/2025

On Friday, Congresswoman Sarah McBride (DE) introduced her first piece of legislation, a bipartisan bill to crack down on credit repair scams that exploit vulnerable consumers. Co-sponsored with U.S. Representative Young Kim of California, the Ending Scam Credit Repair Act takes on an industry notorious for predatory practices.

“Paying for credit repair is almost always a waste of money,” said Andrew Pizor, senior attorney at the National Consumer Law Center. “The amendment from Representatives McBride and Kim will help ensure consumers are not prey to credit repair scams and that they don't get charged unless they get the results they are paying for.” via The Advocate

The transgender lawmaker is out with her first bill to help financially vulnerable Americans.

This year, collections are set to resume and almost 6 million student loan borrowers with loans in default will again be...
01/09/2025

This year, collections are set to resume and almost 6 million student loan borrowers with loans in default will again be subject to the U.S. Department of Education’s forced collection of their tax refunds, wages, and Social Security benefits.

This Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) spotlight describes the circumstances and experiences of student loan borrowers affected by the forced collection of Social Security benefits. It also describes how forced collections can push older borrowers into poverty, undermining the purpose of the Social Security program.

Forced collection of Social Security benefits increasingly pushes borrowers into poverty and hardship, undermining the purpose of the Social Security program.

Medical debt has damaged the financial record of tens of millions for far too long, causing credit rejections and pushin...
01/08/2025

Medical debt has damaged the financial record of tens of millions for far too long, causing credit rejections and pushing costs even higher for Americans struggling financially,” said Chi Chi Wu, a senior attorney at the National Consumer Law Center who focuses on credit reporting issues.

Credit reports can be used to determine a person’s credit worthiness as part of rental housing and employment checks. via Bloomberg

Most medical debt will be scrapped from consumer credit reports under a final US rule implementing a Biden administration priority, but Republican lawmakers and the credit reporting industry will likely push to overturn the changes.

The latest article from NCLC's Digital Library lists federal and state consumer law rights scheduled to go into effect o...
01/07/2025

The latest article from NCLC's Digital Library lists federal and state consumer law rights scheduled to go into effect or expire during the period from December 1, 2024, through January 1, 2026.

This article lists federal and state consumer law rights scheduled to go into effect or expire during the period from December 1, 2024, through January 1, 2026.

“The credit reporting dispute system is as biased as it is broken,” said Ariel Nelson, senior attorney at NCLC. “Experia...
01/07/2025

“The credit reporting dispute system is as biased as it is broken,” said Ariel Nelson, senior attorney at NCLC. “Experian and other credit bureaus not only engage in sham investigations, they always defer to the creditor or debt collector that supplied the erroneous information, a practice we call ‘parroting.’ It’s like a judge who always rules for the defendants.”

Experian Accused of Improperly Investigating Disputes, Threatening Consumers’ Access to Credit

“Medical debt has damaged the financial record of tens of millions for far too long, causing credit rejections and pushi...
01/07/2025

“Medical debt has damaged the financial record of tens of millions for far too long, causing credit rejections and pushing costs even higher for Americans struggling financially,” said Chi Chi Wu, senior attorney at the National Consumer Law Center. “The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) continues with its impressive record of protecting consumers, providing critical relief to the 15 million Americans with unjustly lowered credit scores due to medical debt.”

Today, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) finalized a rule to stop the harmful impact of medical debt on consumers’ credit scores.

Attorney and publishing professional 𝐓𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐚 𝐆𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐨𝐧-𝐓𝐫𝐨𝐲 has joined the National Consumer Law Center as its Chief Publishi...
01/06/2025

Attorney and publishing professional 𝐓𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐚 𝐆𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐨𝐧-𝐓𝐫𝐨𝐲 has joined the National Consumer Law Center as its Chief Publishing Officer, overseeing the organization’s 21 printed legal treatises, Digital Library, and extensive catalog of consumer law materials.

“Tatia brings an extraordinary combination of legal publishing talent and management expertise to NCLC’s publications team,” said Richard Dubois, executive director of NCLC. “Our Digital Library provides unparalleled resources for lawyers in every area of consumer law, and I’m excited by Tatia’s interest in expanding the reach and influence of these materials to help more people achieve economic justice.”

Veteran publisher to oversee digital and print consumer law publications BOSTON – Attorney and publishing professional Tatia Gordon-Troy has joined the National Consumer Law Center (NCLC) as its Chief Publishing Officer, overseeing the organization’s 21 printed legal treatises, Digital Library, ...

"The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has returned more than $20 billion directly to people who were cheated,...
01/03/2025

"The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has returned more than $20 billion directly to people who were cheated," said U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren. "It's the cop on the beat that also has prevented a whole lot of other cheating." via WBUR 90.9 FM

Warren says it would be a mistake to weaken an agency that protects thousands of American consumers from financial malfeasance, and argues the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau could help Trump make good on a promise to cap credit card rates.

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𝐓𝐰𝐨 𝐝𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐥𝐞𝐟𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐚𝐯𝐞! Register for the NCLC/NACA 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐞𝐫 𝐑𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬 𝐋𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐠𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 (𝐂𝐑𝐋𝐂), the nation’s largest and most comprehensive gathering of #consumerLaw attorneys and advocates before the Friday, 𝟗/𝟏𝟓 𝐄𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐲 𝐁𝐢𝐫𝐝 🐤 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞! #ProtectConsumers #Chicago 𝐑𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫: https://www.nclc.org/event/2023-crlc-and-consumer-cas/

On the campaign trail, Joe Biden spoke to struggling student loan borrowers, and made promises they are counting on him to keep. But 250 days into President Biden's administration and many student loan borrowers are asking, "Where's our help?"

It's been too long! We're ready to (safely) gather again for the 2021 Consumer Class Action Symposium + (CCAS+), an in-person gathering of the consumer class action community to be held from October 29-31, 2021 in Washington, D.C. In addition to the musical stylings of the Consumer Law Community's premier band, this year’s CCAS+ will feature networking opportunities, workshops and learning sessions across three days. Register today! https://www.nclc.org/conferences-training/consumer-rights-litigation-conference.html?eType=EmailBlastContent&eId=5d79555a-933d-4ac1-ae7e-d050fe5a41ac

We're excited to welcome the Consumer Law Community back for NCLC's 2021 Consumer Class Action Symposium + (CCAS+), an in-person gathering to be held from October 29-31, 2021 in Washington, DC. Let's get the band back together! Register here: https://web.cvent.com/event/c03a90c1-a333-40a4-832a-2d1929bbc80e/summary

NCLC Matching Gift
NCLC Matching Gift

We’re counting on you! Oregon Consumer Justice (OCJ) has generously offered to match, double, or even triple all donations of $25 or more made to NCLC during this year’s Consumer Rights Litigation Conference (up to $25,000), and we need your support in order to continue our critical work on behalf of low-income consumers across the nation. Donate today to help us meet the match and fight for economic justice in 2021 and beyond! https://nclc.salsalabs.org/donate/index.html

Fail State movie clip
Fail State movie clip

#EventAlert: @FailStateMovie is a look at the for-profit college industry and its impact on studetnt loan borrowers. RSVP NOW for a FREE virtual educational screening Oct 26-28 followed by a zoom town hall with experts. Available for free, on demand, for 48 hours only to 300 users. Register today: https://failstatefilm.eventbrite.com

Who says consumer advocates are all work and no play? Not us. Quid Pro Quo is showing the way at the Consumer Rights Litigation conference in Boston. Take a listen.

Before he was U.S. Senator Ed Markey he was just Ed; one of NCLC's first student legal researchers.
Before he was U.S. Senator Ed Markey he was just Ed; one of NCLC's first student legal researchers.

While a student at Boston College Law School, U.S. Senator Ed Markey worked as one of the National Consumer Law Center's first student legal researchers--providing the legal framework for his work in Congress over the last 40 years. We're excited to welcome Senator Markey back as a speaker at our 50th Anniversary Celebration at the 2019 Consumer Rights Litigation Conference in Boston. 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐰𝐰.𝐧𝐜𝐥𝐜.𝐨𝐫𝐠/𝟓𝟎

Help us celebrate NCLC's 50th Anniversary!
Help us celebrate NCLC's 50th Anniversary!

Join us in Boston on November 15 as we celebrate fifty years of high-impact advocacy for consumer rights and economic justice! Tickets can be purchased at www.nclc.org/50. Hope to see you there!

The Lifeline Program: A Lifeline for Disaster Survivors
The Lifeline Program: A Lifeline for Disaster Survivors

Learn what proposed changes to the federal Lifeline affordable voice and broadband program could mean for disaster survivors and other vulnerable populations.

Senator Elizabeth Warren at the 2017 Consumer Rights Litigation Conference
Senator Elizabeth Warren at the 2017 Consumer Rights Litigation Conference

WATCH the always inspiring consumer rights champion Senator Elizabeth Warren's speech at the National Consumer Law Center's 2017 Consumer Rights Litigation Conference.

CFPB’s New Arbitration Rule: Take Action Together
CFPB’s New Arbitration Rule: Take Action Together

Learn how the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) new arbitration rule will make it easier for consumers to band together when harmed by a financial service provider. End the #RipoffClause

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