On October 7, 2020, the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office (Massachusetts AG) announced a judgment obtained against a student loan debt relief company in Suffolk Superior Court for allegedly unlawful and predatory business practices. According to the AG, the company charged unlawful upfront and continuing fees to consumers, misrepresented the scope…
On September 29, 2020, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced that it had filed a pair of lawsuits in federal district court against two debt collection companies, related entities, and owners for allegedly violating the Federal Trade Commission Act (“FTC Act”) and the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (“FDCPA”). The FTC…
On September 29, 2020 the Arizona Attorney General (AG) announced that it had filed a lawsuit in Arizona state court against two individual owners of debt collection businesses alleging that, on phone calls to consumers nationwide, they made false statements and threats to convince consumers to pay debts the defendants…
On September 29, 2020, the Attorney General for the Commonwealth of Virginia (Virginia AG) announced a settlement with a Nashville-based open-end credit plan internet lender, resolving allegations that the lender violated Virginia laws in offering short-term loans. This settlement results from the Virginia AG’s allegations that the lender’s contracts with its consumers violated the Virginia Consumer Protection Act…
On September 25, 2020, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced that it filed a complaint in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia against a national mortgage loan originator. The complaint alleges that the company violated the False Claims Act (FCA) by originating Home Equity Conversion Mortgage (HECM) loans…
On September 15, 2020, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (“CFPB”) announced that it had filed a proposed stipulated judgment against a Delaware statutory trust after a settlement agreement was reached between the trust and forty-seven states plus the District of Columbia. The trust was created to purchase and hold beneficial…
On September 21, 2020, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) entered into a consent order with an auto loan servicer to resolve allegations that the company charged customers for loss damage waiver coverage without actually providing it. According to the CFPB, this practice was unfair under the Consumer Financial Protection Act,…
On September 16, 2020, the New York Department of Financial Services (“DFS”) announced it filed a statement of charges against a debt collector over the debt collector’s alleged failure to comply with New York State’s Debt Collection Regulation, Part 1 of Title 23 of the New York Codes, Rules, and…
On September 3, 2020, the California Department of Business Oversight (“DBO”) announced it had initiated an investigation into an auto title lender for possible violations of California’s state usury limits, through its relationship with an out-of-state bank. In 2020, the Company allegedly stopped making state-licensed auto loans in California and instead partnered…
On September 2, 2020, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) announced it had entered into a consent order with a Delaware-based VA-mortgage lender, resolving allegations that the company had engaged in deceptive practices against servicemembers and veterans. The CFPB found that since April 2018 the Company had mailed current and former servicemembers misleading advertisements…