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9/15/19

California passes new rules that cap payday loan interest at 36%

8/12/19

Company accused of misrepresenting energy program to pay $4 million settlement with Riverside County, others

7/29/19

Capital One Says Data Breach Affected 100 Million Customers

7/22/19

Equifax to Pay $575 Million as Part of Settlement with FTC, CFPB, and States Related to 2017 Data Breach

7/19/19

Lawsuit seeks to stop L.A. from seizing and discarding homeless peoples belongings

7/01/19

Phantom Debt Brokers and Collectors Settle FTC and New York AG Charges. Defendants behind Hylan Asset Management are banned from the debt collection industry.

6/25/19

CitiMortgage to pay $7.8 million to California borrowers for not paying interest on escrow accounts

6/23/19

Student-loan borrowers with disabilities will be reimbursed after their Social Security checks were needlessly garnished

5/24/19

California Assembly Approves Eliminating Co-Pays in Prisons and Jails

5/20/19

Pledge to pay off 400 graduating Morehouse students' debt--Robert F. Smith.

5/10/19

California State Assembly Select Committee on Student Debt Informational Hearing! When: Friday, May 17, 2019. From 10 a.m. To 12:30 p.m. Where: UC Irvine School of Law, 401 E Peltason Dr, EDU 1121 Robinson Court Room Irvine, CA 92697

5/10/19

Gov. Newsoms Budget Proposal Includes $1B to Combat Homelessness

5/01/19

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (Bureau) today announced a settlement with Conduent Education Services, LLC (CES), a student loan servicing company that formerly operated under the name of ACS Education Services. The Bureau found that CES engaged in unfair practices that violated the Consumer Financial Protection Act of 2010 by failing to adjust in a timely manner principal balances of student loans made under the Federal Family Education Loan Program. This post links to the consent order.

4/23/19

SF Bay Area Student Debt Levels Soar

4/18/19

SILICON VALLEY-FUNDED PRIVACY THINK TANKS FIGHT IN D.C. TO UNRAVEL STATE-LEVEL CONSUMER PRIVACY PROTECTIONS

4/16/19

Attorney General Becerra Announces $4.6 Million Settlement Involving Florida-Based Advantage Rent A Car and Affiliate E-Z Rent-A-Car

4/12/19

Georgetown students vote overwhelming in favor of $27 fee for slavery reparations

4/09/19

United States Department of Justice announced a $1.59 million settlement  its largest ever  with PRG Real Estate Management for violations of the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act. The settlement resolves allegations that PRG obtained unlawful court judgments against military tenants and charged improper lease termination fees.

4/08/19

Tax cuts led to stock buybacks: Shareholders reaped benefit in 2018 from companies' savings

4/02/19

FTC Stops Operation Responsible for Billions of Robocalls.

3/29/19

Trump rollbacks leave more than 100,000 people waiting on student loan relief

3/28/19

HUD Slaps Facebook With Discrimination Charge.

3/25/19

Bubble Watch: Southern California building permits take biggest tumble since recession

3/10/19

2 Billion Unencrypted Records Leaked In Marketing Data Breach -- What Happened And What To Do Next

3/01/19

New brief finds at the current pace of development, certain jurisdictions in California will not meet their low-income housing production targets for more than 1,000 years.

2/23/19

Toxic Forever Chemicals in Drinking Water Leave Military Families Reeling

2/15/19

In landmark move, L.A. County will replace Mens Central Jail with mental health hospital for inmates

2/12/19

Thousands of Former Corinthian Students Are Eligible for Debt Cancellation; With Latest Appeal, The Department of Education Continues To Resist Doing The Right Thing

2/08/19

BB&T, SunTrust merge to create nations 6th largest bank (some of you might remember SunTrust...)

2/08/19

Consumer bureau proposes scrapping borrower safeguards from payday loan rule

2/06/19

https://www.mercurynews.com/2019/02/04/san-jose-devotes-nearly-100-million-to-affordable-housing/

2/05/19

CONSUMER FINANCIAL PROTECTION BUREAU SETTLES WITH CASH TYME. Payday Lender Failed to Prevent Overcharges, Made Harassing Collection Calls to Borrowers References, Must Pay $100,000 Fine

1/25/19

California Sues Huntington Beach for Snubbing Affordable Housing

1/21/19

BlackRock Exposes Confidential Data on Thousands of Advisers on iShares Site

1/19/19

In California, Gender Can No Longer Be Considered in Setting Car Insurance Rates

1/14/19

Former for-profit college students will have nearly $500 million in student debt wiped away

1/04/19

Wells Fargo gives up California insurance license over renters insurance violations. Settlement with state also includes $5 million fine

12/07/18

Wells Fargo computer glitch blamed as hundreds lose their homes

11/14/18

https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/press-releases/2018/10/online-student-loan-refinance-company-sofi-settles-ftc-charges

11/13/18

HERA vs. Betsy Devos!

11/06/18

Los Angeles will wipe out nearly $90 million worth of debt incurred by juvenile offenders

11/06/18

Wells Fargo pays $65 million to settle 'cross-sell' fraud claims with New York

10/25/18

Koreatown apartment owner agrees to pay $2.5 million in settlement of tenants' discrimination lawsuit

10/03/18

Facebook Hack Puts Other Sites at Risk

9/27/18

California regulator probes links between high-cost lenders and consumer finance sites

9/13/18

BREAKING: Oakland Finance Committee unanimously recommends the public bank feasibility study be moved forward to the full City Council

9/10/18

Walmart And Others Offer Workers Payday Loan Alternative

8/27/18

Student Loan Watchdog Quits, Says Trump Administration 'Turned Its Back' On Borrowers

8/14/18

Fannie, Freddie extend forbearance to California wildfire victims. Residential damage climbs over $11 billion

8/13/18

Can Consumer Loans Be Unconscionably Expensive? You Bet! Congratulations to Arthur Levy, HERA Director of Litigation, and to The Consumer Attorney Firms and State AG on This Court Decision!

8/10/18

Extraordinary Situation Proclaimed in Orange and Riverside Counties

8/01/18

Wells Fargo to Pay $2.09 Billion to End U.S. Mortgage Probe

8/01/18

Bank of America Freezes Citizen Family's Accounts After Demanding Proof of Citizenship

7/25/18

Betsy DeVos New Proposal Aligns Her With For-Profit Colleges Over Debt-Saddled Students

7/18/18

E.U. Fines Google $5.1 Billion in Android Antitrust Case

7/12/18

Milwaukee agreed Tuesday to pay $3.4 million to settle a lawsuit alleging its police department spent years targeting black and Latino residents without probable cause with its stop-and-frisk policy.

7/12/18

What California's Navient Lawsuit Means For Your Student Loans

7/01/18

Federal court: Wells Fargo must face Oaklands mortgage discrimination lawsuit

7/01/18

United States : Citi avoids CFPB fine for overcharging cardholders US$335m

6/06/18

Mick Mulvaney fires all 25 members of consumer watchdogs advisory board

5/29/18

In Groundbreaking Decision, Judge Halts Collection Of For-Profit College Student Debts -HERA and Harvard Law School Clinic

5/22/18

Bank profits hit a new all-time record as Congress is poised to roll back post-crisis regulations

5/20/18

Southern California inflation at a 10-year high. Blame housing, gas prices

5/14/18

330 Million Twitter Account User Passwords Exposed: FTC Urges Users to Change Passwords Now

5/08/18

Google bans ads for bail bonds services

5/04/18

Wells Fargo Reaches $480 Million Settlement in Class-Action Suit

5/01/18

State audit calls for more funding and statewide agency to address nation's worst homelessness problem

5/01/18

Homelessness Increases in San Bernardino County

4/30/18

New academic study depicts the strong benefits of a state Public Bank in New Jersey

4/12/18

Class-action lawsuit against student loan giant brings hope to borrowers in bankruptcy

4/10/18

In 83 Million Eviction Records, a Sweeping and Intimate New Look at Housing in America

4/10/18

American Federation of Teachers Throws Down Gauntlet o\Over Wells Fargo Gun Support

3/05/18

Attorney General Becerra Calls on Education Secretary DeVos to Reject Toothless Student Borrower Defense Proposal

3/02/18

Report: No progress for African Americans on homeownership, unemployment and incarceration in 50 years

2/26/18

Citi to Refund $335 Million After Finding Card APRs Too High

2/23/18

FIRST-EVER NATIONAL REPORT ON WIDESPREAD COURT PRACTICES THAT COERCE PAYMENTS FROM PEOPLE IN DEBT WITHOUT DUE PROCESS

2/16/18

Total US household debt soars to record above $13 trillion

2/02/18

The Federal Reserve levied an unprecedented penalty against Wells Fargo on Friday, blocking its ability to grow larger and pressuring the mega bank to replace four board members following widespread consumer abuses.

1/22/18

Big winners from tax cut are banks big and small

1/03/18

PHH will pay $45 million in settlement with 49 states over its mortgage servicing problems.

12/29/17

Women in Blue-Collar Workplaces Share Their Experiences Of Harassment.

12/21/17

Council approves linkage fees on developers to pay for affordable housing

12/13/17

All These Colleges Have Now Gone 'Loan-Free' to Help Keep Students Out of Debt

11/21/17

CONSUMER FINANCIAL PROTECTION BUREAU TAKES ACTION AGAINST CITIBANK FOR STUDENT LOAN SERVICING FAILURES THAT HARMED BORROWERS. Company Deceived Borrowers About Tax Benefits, Incorrectly Charged Late Fees and Interest, Sent Misleading Monthly Bills and Incomplete Notices

11/13/17

ACLU sues for Colorado mother of three who was jailed over $55 pretrial fee

10/26/17

SF public defender announces plan to challenge bail in every criminal case

10/25/17

Mike Pence cast the deciding vote as Senate Republicans struck down a rule that would have let Americans sue banks and credit card companies

10/24/17

Rental Affordability Is Worsening

10/20/17

Regulator Blasts Wells Fargo for Deceptive Auto Insurance Program

10/13/17

FTC Cracks Down on Game of Loans

10/09/17

One-third of American households cant afford food, shelter or medical care

10/04/17

Tax Service Enabled Tax ID Theft, FTC Says

9/26/17

CONSUMER FINANCIAL PROTECTION BUREAUS FIRST NATIONAL SURVEY ON FINANCIAL WELL-BEING SHOWS MORE THAN 40 PERCENT OF U.S. ADULTS STRUGGLE TO MAKE ENDS MEET

9/06/17

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) today took action against an online lead aggregator for steering consumers toward lenders who offered illegal or unlicensed loans that were void in the consumers state.

8/24/17

Student Loan Company Accused of Mismanaging Debt Forgiveness Program

8/18/17

Major Global Banks Set to Face LIBOR-Rigging Probe by FDIC

8/02/17

CFPB Takes Action Against JP Morgan Chase for keeping consumers in the dark about the results of their reporting disputes and key aspects of their checking account application denials.

7/28/17

Today, 11 percent of the $1.3 trillion of federal student loans outstanding is severely delinquent or in default-- higher than the mortgage default rate at the peak of the foreclosure crisis in 2010.

7/18/17

FHFA Announces $5.5 Billion Settlement with Royal Bank of Scotland FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

7/17/17

NCSLTs inability to prove chain of title for private student loans

7/10/17

New protections against mandatory arbitration! The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) issues a new rule that will make it easier for consumers to file or join an existing group lawsuit if they are harmed by a financial service provider, such as a bank or credit card company.

6/22/17

CONSUMER FINANCIAL PROTECTION BUREAU SPOTLIGHTS BORROWER COMPLAINTS ABOUT STUDENT LOAN SERVICERS MISHANDLING PUBLIC SERVICE LOAN FORGIVENESS PROGRAM. Consumer Bureau Launches Certify Your Service Campaign to Help Teachers, First Responders, and Other Public Servants Stay on Track

6/16/17

Gorsuchs First Opinion: Let Debt Collectors Run Amok

6/14/17

3 Men Convicted in Massive Bid-Rigging Scheme to Buy Foreclosed Properties [ in Alameda County]

6/11/17

Court Orders Education Dept. to End Delay in Ruling on Student Loan Discharge

5/10/17

HUD APPROVES AGREEMENT BETWEEN AFRICAN-AMERICAN COUPLE AND FARMERS INSURANCE RESOLVING DISCRIMINATION CLAIMS

5/05/17

Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Release Report: Paying More for Being Poor: Bias and Disparity in Californias Traffic Court System

4/26/17

CFPB Issues $1.25 Million Fine to Servicemember Auto Lender for Violating Consent Order. Auto Loan Company Failed to Provide Redress For Illegal Collection Tactics

4/21/17

American Financial Network of Brea, California; Benchmark Communities of Fresno; Brigantino Enterprise of Hollister;-- Settle With HUD On Lending Discrimination Complaint.

4/13/17

Navient- Predatory Entity- Litigation Pursued

3/23/17

FTC MAILS CHECKS TO PEOPLE WHO LOST MONEY IN WORK-AT-HOME SCHEME

3/22/17

Wells Fargo Card Requests Drop by Most Since Scandal Erupted

3/16/17

California Democrats unveil a sweeping financial aid plan to help students avoid debt

3/15/17

Nationstar Mortgage to pay $1.7 mln over loan reporting flaws -CFPB

2/21/17

California regulator reveals what Ocwen did wrong: Auditor found "hundreds" of violations of law

2/07/17

CFPB and New York Attorney General Sue RD Legal for Scamming 9/11 Heroes Out of Millions of Dollars in Compensation Funds. CFPB and NY Also Accuse Company of Deceiving National Football League Concussion Victims

1/31/17

CONSUMER FINANCIAL PROTECTION BUREAU ORDERS PROSPECT MORTGAGE TO PAY $3.5 MILLION FINE FOR ILLEGAL KICKBACK SCHEME. http://www.consumerfinance.gov/about-us/newsroom/cfpb-orders-prospect-mortgage-pay-35-million-fine-illegal-kickback-scheme/Real Estate Brokers and Mortgage Servicer That Took Kickbacks from Prospect Also Ordered to Pay $495,000

1/25/17

Attention: Former Corinthian Students- Changes to STRF Eligibility Parameters

1/20/17

Credit Suisse reaches $5.28 billion mortgage bond settlement. Required to provide $2.8 billion in consumer relief.

1/18/17

CFPB Sues Nation's Largest Student Loan Company Navient for Failing Borrowers at Every Stage of Repayment. Navient, Formerly Part of Sallie Mae, Illegally Cheated Borrowers Out of Repayment Rights Through Shortcuts and Deception

1/11/17

CFPB takes action against medical debt collection law firms

12/19/16

DeVry settles with FTC for $100 million, will reimburse students

12/12/16

FTC Action Halts Telemarketing Scheme That Pitched Money-Making Opportunities and Grants. Check out the FTC posting for full list of names of defendants (Blue Saguaro Marketing LLC, also doing business as Blue Saguaro Grant Program, Gera Grant, Government Grant Service, Grant Center, and Grant Resources; MarketingWays.com LLC, also d/b/a Amazon.com Associates Program; Max Results Marketing LLC, also d/b/a Amazon.com Associates Program, Amazon Affiliate Program, Amazon Associates Central, Gera Grant and, and Grant Strategy Solutions; Oro Canyon Marketing II LLC; Paramount Business Services LLC, also d/b/a Paramount Business Resources; Stephanie A. Bateluna; Stacey Vela; and Carl E. Morris, Jr. )

12/07/16

Consumer financial protection bureau takes action against reverse mortgage COMPANIES for deceptive advertising. Three Companies Cited For Falsely Claiming Consumers Could Not Lose Their Homes

12/07/16

LA County Supervisors place quarter-cent sales tax to help homeless on March ballot

12/02/16

Yesterday, the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) announced plans to increase loan limits across most areas in the U.S. in 2017 to reflect rising home prices.

11/21/16

CFPB Sues Access Funding for Scamming Lead-Paint Poisoning Victims Out of Settlement Money

11/07/16

11 Oregon counties sue private mortgage registry MERS

11/03/16

What you need to know if you were harmed by Wells Fargo

11/01/16

The U.S. District Court for the District of Nevada ruled that a Kansas City-based payday lending operation must pay $1.3 billion for deceiving borrowers and illegally charging them hidden and inflated fees.

10/31/16

2016 Has Been A Mixed Bag For LGBT Politics

10/18/16

CONSUMER FINANCIAL PROTECTION BUREAU PROJECTS THAT One-in-three rehabilitated STUDENT LOAN borrowers WILL RE-default within two years. Gaps in Student Loan Rehab Programs Trap Vulnerable Borrowers in Default, May Cost Consumers $125 Million in Unnecessary Interest Charges Alone

10/05/16

Chicago to Pull $25 Million From Wells Fargo After Scandal

10/04/16

Ditech Agrees to $1.4M Settlement with Massachusetts

9/28/16

Federal Agency in Human Services May Forbid Forced Arbitratio In Nursing Home Cases

9/27/16

Alleged Free Trial Scammers to Pay Millions in Settlement - Thanks, Federal Trade Commission!

9/13/16

After CFPB Investigation, Bridgepoint Agrees To Forgive $23.5M In Student Loans

9/09/16

CONSUMER FINANCIAL PROTECTION BUREAU FINES WELLS FARGO $100 MILLION FOR WIDESPREAD ILLEGAL PRACTICE OF SECRETLY OPENING UNAUTHORIZED ACCOUNTS . Bank Incentives to Boost Sales Figures Spurred Employees to Secretly Open Deposit and Credit Card Accounts

9/05/16

Retiree Awarded $15.6 Million in Reported Ponzi Scheme Tied to MetLife

7/19/16

Jennings [Missouri] to pay $4.7M settlement to those jailed over court debts

7/14/16

Wells Fargo Will Pay $16.3 Million to End TCPA Suit: alleging it illegally used an Automatic Telephone Dialing System (ATDS) to call customers cellphones without their consent.

7/06/16

Hillary Clinton Unveils Debt-Free College For All, Adopting Major Bernie Sanders Plank

7/01/16

CONSUMER FINANCIAL PROTECTION BUREAU AND DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE ACTION REQUIRES BANCORPSOUTH TO PAY $10.6 MILLION TO ADDRESS DISCRIMINATORY MORTGAGE LENDING PRACTICES. BancorpSouth Illegally Denied African-American Consumers Fair and Equal Access to Mortgages

6/29/16

Whose Home Is It Anyway? Press Release - Jun 29, 2016 09:00 PDT How the Modern Mortgage Servicing Industry Strips Wealth From Families

6/24/16

Merrill Lynch to pay $415 million for misusing customer cash

6/15/16

The Education Department recommended Wednesday that the largest national accreditation agency lose the power to act as the gatekeeper between colleges and billions of dollars in federal financial aid, a step that could signal the end of the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools.

6/13/16

UNITED STATES: DC Council passes measure to study basic income

6/02/16

CONSUMER FINANCIAL PROTECTION BUREAU PROPOSES RULE TO END PAYDAY DEBT TRAPS Rule Would Require Lenders to Determine Whether Consumers Have the Ability to Repay Payday, Auto Title, and Certain Other High-Cost Loans

5/30/16

Former Zurich Insurance CEO Martin Senn Commits Suicide Senn stepped down last December after a difficult period for the company

5/26/16

Wells Fargo Pays $70 Million for Failures in Foreclosure Accord

5/23/16

Jury hits debt collector with $38M judgment

5/20/16

Deutsche Bank Probes Trades That Made Employees Millions

5/17/16

Why more widowed homeowners are struggling to prevent a foreclosure

5/05/16

CONSUMER FINANCIAL PROTECTION BUREAU PROPOSES PROHIBITING MANDATORY ARBITRATION CLAUSES THAT DENY GROUPS OF CONSUMERS THEIR DAY IN COURT. Bureau Seeks Comment on Proposal to Ban a Contract Gotcha that Prevents Groups of Consumers from Suing Consumer Financial Companies

5/04/16

CFPB Report Finds 26 Million Consumers Are Credit Invisible. Bureau Also Finds That Black and Hispanic Consumers Are More Likely to Have a Limited Credit Record

4/30/16

Wells Fargo Must Face Oakland's Lending Suit

4/29/16

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/davidhalperin/case-builds-against-for-p_b_9791752.html

4/22/16

Missouri Court of Appeals affirms $3.0M punitive damages award against Wells for wrongful foreclosure

4/20/16

Attorney General Kamala D. Harris Announces Support for SB 1150, Homeowner Survivor Bill of Rights

4/15/16

Principal Reduction Coming for Underwater Homeowners With Fannie or Freddie Mac Insured Loans

4/13/16

SF Land Trust Acquires Another SoMa Building, Thwarting Future Evictions

4/12/16

Investors are preparing for Wells Fargo to report earnings lower than 2015, according to an article by Ciara Linnane for MarketWatch.

4/11/16

Boom! Goldman Sachs Resolves U.S. Mortgage Probe for $5.1 Billion

4/08/16

Wells Fargo Settles Mortgage Case For $1.2 Billion. The bank admitted to deceiving the government with years of reckless underwriting.

4/06/16

California Reinvestment Coalition Negotiates $8 Billion Community Benefit and Reinvestment Plan with BBCN Bank

4/06/16

California Sues Morgan Stanley, Alleges Culture Of Greed And Deception

4/05/16

A Storm Is Coming. The Panama Papers.

3/22/16

CONSUMER FINANCIAL PROTECTION BUREAU REPORT HIGHLIGHTS HIGH RATE OF DEBT COLLECTION COMPLAINTS FROM SERVICEMEMBERS AND THEIR FAMILIES. CFPB Enforcement Actions Returned Over $5 Million to Servicemembers in 2015

3/18/16

HERA Workshops Offer Low Income Californians Lessons on Accessing Credit

3/18/16

ASUS Settles FTC Charges That Insecure Home Routers and Cloud Services Put Consumers Privacy At Risk

3/10/16

SENATE DEMS: STUDENTS DESERVE IMMEDIATE DEBT RELIEF AFTER ATTENDING SCHOOLS ENGAGED IN DECEPTIVE & PREDATORY PRACTICES

3/09/16

Inspector General says the Education Department misled the public when it claimed in a statement that its contractors incorrectly denied active-duty troops their federal right to a cheaper loan "in less than 1 percent of cases." The error rate actually was 16 times higher.

2/26/16

CONSUMER FINANCIAL PROTECTION BUREAU ORDERS CITIBANK TO PROVIDE RELIEF TO CONSUMERS FOR ILLEGAL DEBT SALES AND COLLECTION PRACTICES. Citibank Sold Credit Card Debt with Inflated Interest Rates; Debt Collectors for Citibank Altered Affidavits

2/26/16

FTC acts against debt-relief operation that targeted financially distressed homeowners and student loan borrowers

2/25/16

Despite $1.2B settlement, Wells Fargo still facing DOJ probe into mortgage operations

2/25/16

Despite $1.2B settlement, Wells Fargo still facing DOJ probe into mortgage operations

2/19/16

Autoridades urgen a la comunidad inmigrante a denunciar fraudes-- Hay varias entidades que ayudan a las víctimas de fraude sin importar el estatus migratorio por lo que funcionarios exhortan a los consumidores a que acudan a las autoridades

2/18/16

The Obama administration is proposing new standards for when the federal government will forgive the student loans of borrowers who say they were victimized by their college or university

2/18/16

FTC Returns Money to Consumers Harmed in Payday Loan Ploy

2/17/16

10 million California student records about to be released to attorneys

2/13/16

Student Aid Center Inc, accused of preying on student loan borrowers, files for bankruptcy

2/11/16

Manager of 'predatory' loan modification law firm sent to jail. Michael Nazarinia gets 9 months for role in mortgage fraud scheme

2/11/16

Pro Racecar Driver Scott Tucker Charged in Payday Loan Scam

2/05/16

HSBC Reaches $470M Deal With US, States Over Banking Abuses

2/03/16

Wells Fargo To Pay $1.2 Billion To Settle Govt. Lawsuit Over Reckless Mortgages

2/01/16

HUD AND FIRST TENNESSEE BANK REACH $1.9 MILLION SETTLEMENT. Agreement resolves claims of discrimination against African American and Hispanic borrowers

1/26/16

U.S. Departamento De Desarollo y Viviendas Acusa a tres compañías de California de timar a clientes hispanos

1/26/16

Compañías De Préstamos Hipotecarios Son Acusadas De Timar A Clientes Hispanos En California

1/21/16

HERA Contributes Significantly To Great California Consumer Protection Decision! Our Amicus Brief Argued For State Law Protections for Homeowners Against Further Debt Collection When There Was A Short Sale.

1/21/16

HUD"s December Housing Scorecard Just Released- How HUD Thinks Homeowners Are Doing

1/17/16

Overdrawn and Overworked: How Banks Are (Still) Screwing Consumers With Overdraft Fees

1/14/16

Goldman Sachs to pay $5.1 billion to settle toxic mortgage probe

1/12/16

AFTER INVESTIGATING FAIR HOUSING COMPLAINTS FILED BY HOUSING AND ECONOMIC RIGHTS ADVOCATES, HUD FILES CHARGE ALLEGING CALIFORNIA FORECLOSURE RESCUE COMPANIES SCAMMED HISPANIC HOMEOWNERS

1/12/16

CONSUMER FINANCIAL PROTECTION BUREAU RELEASES GUIDE TO HELP CONSUMERS NAVIGATE PENSION PAYOUTS. Guide Highlights Trade-Offs Between Lump-Sum and Lifetime Monthly Payout Options

1/10/16

How new regulations saved consumers billions in credit card fees--read all about it!

1/10/16

J.P. Morgan Securities Fined $4 Million for False Statements to Clients

1/07/16

New CFPB Consumer Complaints Report Focuses on Money Transfer Problems

1/06/16

FTC Secures $4.4 Million From Online Payday Lenders to Settle Deception Charges. Lenders Will Waive $68 Million in Inflated Fees Charged to Consumers Nationwide

1/04/16

Commerzbank sues BNY Mellon, Wells Fargo, HSBC over mortgage losses.

1/03/16

Predictions for the 2016 housing market

12/23/15

LifeLock to Pay $100 Million to Consumers to Settle FTC Charges it Violated 2010 Order that requires the company to secure consumers personal information and prohibits the company from deceptive advertising.

12/22/15

The Securities and Exchange Commission announced that two J.P. Morgan Chase wealth management subsidiaries have agreed to pay $267 million and admit wrongdoing to settle charges that they failed to disclose conflicts of interest to clients.

12/18/15

CONSUMER FINANCIAL PROTECTION BUREAU ORDERS CARHOP TO PAY $6.4 MILLION PENALTY FOR JEOPARDIZING CONSUMERS CREDIT. One of Nations Biggest Buy-Here, Pay-Here Auto Dealers Provided Inaccurate Credit Information

12/17/15

CONSUMER FINANCIAL PROTECTION BUREAU ORDERS EZCORP TO PAY $10 MILLION FOR ILLEGAL DEBT COLLECTION TACTICS. Bureau Issues Industry-Wide Warning On Home, Workplace Debt Collection Risks

12/07/15

CONSUMER FINANCIAL PROTECTION BUREAU TAKES ACTION AGAINST DEBT COLLECTOR FOR PURSUING DISPUTED AND UNVERIFIED CELLPHONE DEBTS

12/06/15

Illinois attorney general calls for federal probe into Chicago police department

12/06/15

CFPB Finds CARD Act Helped Consumers Avoid More Than $16 Billion in Gotcha Credit Card Fees

12/05/15

The U.S. Department of Education will cancel over $27.8 million of federal student loans owed by more than 1,300 former students at Heald College.

12/02/15

DOJ Settles With Bank Over Discriminatory Lending Allegations

11/30/15

Fed Adopts Dodd-Frank Limits on Bailing Out Financial Institutions. The Federal Reserve adopted a rule restricting its ability to lend to financial institutions in a crisis in an attempt to ease concerns about its power to pump money into the financial system.

11/17/15

FTC and Federal, State and Local Law Enforcement Partners Announce Nationwide Crackdown Against Abusive Debt Collectors. Authorities Announce 30 New Actions Targeting Illegal Practices Such as Phony Debt Collection, Threats of Arrest & Wage Garnishment

11/03/15

New Federal Bills Would Protect Students From High-Cost Campus Bank Accounts. Legislation Would Help Students Avoid High Fees, Limit Aggressive Marketing Tactics, And More For Immediate Release

10/29/15

CONSUMER FINANCIAL PROTECTION BUREAU TAKES ACTION AGAINST TWO OF THE LARGEST EMPLOYMENT BACKGROUND SCREENING REPORT PROVIDERS FOR SERIOUS INACCURACIES

10/28/15

CFPB Wins Default Judgment Against Corinthian Colleges for Engaging in a Predatory Lending Scheme!

10/21/15

Former Dixon real estate agent draws prison sentence in mortgage fraud

10/20/15

New 2015 Wealth Data: US Inequality at Its Ugliest

10/16/15

CFPB Finalizes Rule to Improve Information About Access to Credit in the Mortgage Market

10/13/15

JPMorgan Chase & Co misses expectations on 3Q revenue, income. But mortgage banking income rose 29%

10/02/15

Hey, Californians! Traffic Tickets / Infractions Amnesty Program! Start: October 1, 2015 End: March 31, 2017

10/02/15

CFPB Orders Indirect Auto Finance Company to Provide Consumers $44.1 Million in Relief for Illegal Debt Collection Tactics: Westlake Services and Wilshire Consumer Credit Pressured Borrowers with Illegal Threats and Phony Caller IDs

9/29/15

CFPB (Consumer Financial Protection Bureau) Concerned About Widespread Servicing Failures Reported by Student Loan Borrowers. CFPB and U.S. Departments of Education and Treasury Issue Framework for Servicing Reforms, Bureau Prioritizes Stamping Out Illegal Actions

9/26/15

The City of Oakland filed suit against Wells Fargo for discriminatory lending, leading to foreclosure costs imposed on the city and its residents

9/22/15

City of Oakland files federal lawsuit against Wells Fargo for damages caused by predatory lending City and its residents suffered major financial damages due to banks discriminatory practices in Oakland

9/09/15

Walter Investment fined $29.6 million for False Claims Act violations Subsidiaries allegedly submitted false reverse mortgage claims to HUD

9/02/15

A report from the Southern California Association of Nonprofit Housing estimates that you'd need to make four times the state minimum wage, or about $36 an hour, to afford an average L.A County rent.

9/02/15

Key figure in expanded prison probe netted big dollars from payday lending groups

8/25/15

FHFA Establishes 2015-2017 Affordable Housing Goals for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac

8/21/15

CA AG warns of federal student loan consolidation scams

8/21/15

Attorney General Madigan Calls on Federal Government to Discharge Loans of Students Defrauded by For-profit Schools

8/14/15

Student Loan Delinquencies Jump As Crisis Spreads Increase comes despite lower loan delinquencies overall. Poor servicing likely a culprit, former regulator says.

8/04/15

CONSUMER FINANCIAL PROTECTION BUREAU SUES OFFSHORE PAYDAY LENDER-- Bureau Alleges the NDG Enterprise Collected Money Illegally, Seeks Refunds for Consumers

7/30/15

CONSUMER FINANCIAL PROTECTION BUREAU TAKES action against MOrtgage company FOR BLOCKING CONSUMERS ATTEMPTS TO SAVE THEIR HOMES--Residential Credit Solutions to Pay $1.5 Million for Servicing Wrongs

7/28/15

CFPB orders Paymap to repay $33.4 million for deceiving customers

7/24/15

CONSUMER FINANCIAL PROTECTION BUREAU TAKES ACTION AGAINST STUDENT FINANCIAL AID SERVICES, INC. FOR ILLEGAL RECURRING BILLING SCHEME--Company to Pay $5.2 Million For Illegally Billing Over 100,000 Consumers

7/22/15

Department of Defense Issues Final Military Lending Act Rule

7/14/15

Bankrupt Corinthian Colleges students will receive tuition debt relief

7/07/15

CONSUMER FINANCIAL PROTECTION BUREAU REPORT FINDS SERVICEMEMBERS CONTINUE TO FACE ROADBLOCKS FROM STUDENT LOAN SERVICERS--Servicers Still Failing to Provide Legal Protections to Military Borrowers

7/01/15

UNFAIR BILLING OF CREDIT CARD ADD-ON PRODUCTS AND SERVICES-- CFPB TAKES ACTION AGAINST CREDIT CARD COMPANIES Consumers Billed for Credit Reporting and Identity Theft Protection Benefits They Did Not Receive

6/30/15

FTC Returns Almost $4 Million to Consumers in Debt Collection Scam

6/26/15

Gay Marriage Backers Win Supreme Court Victory

6/25/15

U.S. Supreme Court Rules Disparate Impact Claims Are Allowed Under Fair Housing Act

6/19/15

Housing advocates join industry applauding reverse mortgage change

6/19/15

CONSUMER FINANCIAL PROTECTION BUREAU TAKES ACTION AGAINST MEDICAL DEBT COLLECTOR. -Company Mishandled Consumer Credit Reporting Disputes, Prevented Consumers From Exercising Debt Collection Rights

6/17/15

OCC slaps Wells Fargo, JPMorgan, others with mortgage servicing restrictions.

6/09/15

Section 8 scammers cheat people seeking housing- Beware!!

6/09/15

Department of Education Announces Streamlined Debt Relief Process for Corinthians Students

6/04/15

CONSUMER FINANCIAL PROTECTION BUREAU ORDERS RPM MORTGAGE TO PAY $19 MILLION FOR STEERING CONSUMERS INTO COSTLIER MORTGAGES

5/31/15

CONSUMER FINANCIAL PROTECTION BUREAU (CFPB) AND FLORIDA ATTORNEY GENERAL OBTAIN $27.7 MILLION JUDGMENT AGAINST FORECLOSURE RELIEF SCAM COMPANIES

5/28/15

HUD & ASSOCIATED BANK REACH HISTORIC $200 MILLION SETTLEMENT OF REDLINING CLAIM

5/20/15

Five Banks Face Combined $5 Billion Bill Over Foreign Exchange Manipulation -- Reuters

5/12/15

U.S. to Seek Guilty Pleas From Parent Companies of Banks for Rigging Foreign Exchange Markets

5/05/15

L.A. sues Wells Fargo, alleging 'unlawful and fraudulent conduct'

5/01/15

Baltimore City -State's Attorney: Freddie Gray's Death Determined a Homicide

4/28/15

CONSUMER FINANCIAL PROTECTION BUREAU FINES REGIONS BANK $7.5 MILLION FOR UNLAWFUL OVERDRAFT PRACTICES

4/26/15

Troubled For-Profit Corinthian Colleges Shutting Down As Education Department Faces Bill

4/21/15

Groundbreaking Academic Conference on Armenian Genocide in Istanbul

4/20/15

CONSUMER FINANCIAL PROTECTION BUREAU TAKES ACTION AGAINST MILITARY ALLOTMENT PROCESSOR FOR CHARGING SERVICEMEMBERS HIDDEN FEES

4/10/15

9 State Attorney Generals Ask for Debt Forgiveness for All Corinthians College Students

3/30/15

CONSUMER FINANCIAL PROTECTION BUREAU TAKES ACTION AGAINST BAD CHECK DEBT COLLECTOR Nationwide Operation Deceptively Threatened Consumers with Criminal Prosecution and Jail Time for Writing Bounced Checks

3/28/15

Mississippi's Consumer Protection Act key to forcing S&P settlement on bogus bond ratings

3/25/15

Black America Is Just 72 Percent Equal To White America. In Some Areas, The Inequality Is Worse Than That. Report by National Urban League.

3/25/15

BofA must face Chicago-area predatory lending lawsuit

3/12/15

NEW REVERSE MORTAGE POLICY WONT HELP HOMEOWNERS, FORECLOSURES WILL LIKELY CONTINUE

3/04/15

Department of Education Ending Contracts with Five Student Loan Collection Agencies

3/02/15

Free checking flourishes at credit unions

3/02/15

Get latest news on student loan debt- problems and how to handle--from CFPB

3/02/15

M&T Bank, the largest bank in Western New York, is the latest local financial institution to be charged with racial discrimination in mortgage lending.

3/02/15

New Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Tool Helps Public Figure Out Mortgages- How Much Is Affordable, Possible Interest Rates

2/20/15

Lender CashCall to Pay Restitution, $1 Million in Penalties and Costs to Settle Case with DBO Firm Misled and Overcharged Consumers

2/04/15

Justice Department and State Partners Secure $1.375 Billion Settlement with S&P for Defrauding Investors in the Lead Up to the Financial Crisis

2/04/15

Special announcement for Corinthian students---more than $480 million in forgiveness for borrowers who took out Corinthian Colleges high-cost private student loans.

1/09/15

DEPARTMENT OF CONSUMER AFFAIRS SECURES NEARLY $1 MILLION IN CONSUMER RESTITUTION FROM DEBT COLLECTION AGENCY THAT ILLEGALY COLLECTED ON PAYDAY LOANS

1/09/15

Bank Of America Must Pay Family $1 Million For 5 Years Of Unwanted Robocalls

1/08/15

43 million Americans have overdue medical debt on their credit reports! See CFPB report.

12/19/14

CFPB and States Take Action Against Freedom Stores for Illegal Debt Collection Practices Against Servicemembers

12/12/14

FTC Shutters Wide-Ranging Operation That Perpetrated Phony Mortgage Relief Scam; Defendants Victimized Thousands of Consumers Facing the Possibility of Foreclosure.

11/17/14

debt brokers At the FTCs request, a federal court ordered two debt sellers that posted sensitive personal information about 70,000 people online to notify the people and explain how they can protect themselves from identity theft and fraud.

10/20/14

California Superior Court Orders Bank of America and Borrower to Provide Privacy Notice to Other Impacted Borrowers in HERA litigation.

10/16/14

CFPB Vows Action As Student Loan Borrowers Suffer

10/10/14

The CFPB and the FTC are hosting a public roundtable entitled, Debt Collection and the Latino Community, on October 23rd, 2014 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. PST at Cal State University Long Beachs Grand Ballroom (1250 Bellflower Blvd. Long Beach, CA). The roundtable will bring together consumer advocates, industry representatives, state and federal regulators, and academics to discuss debt collection and credit reporting issues affecting Latino consumers, especially those who are limited English proficient (LEP). Please visit the CFPB blog for more information and to view the livestream on the day of the event: http://www.consumerfinance.gov/blog/save-the-date-long-beach/

10/09/14

HUD ANNOUNCES $5 MILLION WELLS FARGO SETTLEMENT AFTER COMPLAINTS OF DISCRIMINATION AGAINST WOMEN ON MATERNITY LEAVE OR PREGNANT

9/29/14

CONSUMER FINANCIAL PROTECTION BUREAU TAKES ACTION AGAINST FLAGSTAR BANK FOR VIOLATING NEW MORTGAGE SERVICING RULES- Flagstar to Pay $37.5 Million for Blocking Mortgage Borrowers Attempts to Save Their Homes.

9/25/14

U.S. Bank ordered to refund $48 million to consumers: 420,000 customers were charged for identity protection "add-ons"

9/18/14

CFPB: Payday Lenders Took Cash from Consumers Who Weren't Even Customers.

8/30/14

Moodys downgrades Ocwens servicer ratings.

8/26/14

Terms of Recent BofA Settlement

8/21/14

Attorney General Kamala D. Harris Announces Over Half Billion Dollar Settlement with Bank of America

8/15/14

BofA Said Nearing Up to $17 Billion Mortgage Settlement

8/15/14

CFPB Orders Amerisave To Pay $19.3 Million For Bait-And-Switch Mortgage Scheme

8/07/14

Bank Of America Nearing Massive Settlement With DOJ Over Sketchy Mortgages.

7/23/14

Regulators accuse firms of 'reprehensible' foreclosure scams.

7/05/14

Payments to borrowers who lost their homes to foreclosure with Ocwen, Litton, Homeward (also known as American Home Mortgage Servicing or AHMSI)

7/05/14

SunTrust Reaches U.S. Settlement Over Mortgage Modifications

7/02/14

HUD SETTLES DISCRIMINATION CLAIM AGAINST GREENLIGHT FINANCIAL SERVICES (GFS CAPITAL HOLDINGS) ALLEGING IT DENIED LOANS TO WOMEN ON MATERNITY LEAVE.

6/19/14

Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Orders GE Capital to Pay $225 Million in Consumer Relief for Deceptive and Discriminatory Credit Card Practices

6/19/14

CFPB, Federal Partners, and State Attorneys General File Order Requiring SunTrust to Provide $540 Million in Relief to Homeowners for Servicing Wrongs, Plus...

6/02/14

Los Angeles Sues Chase for Mortgage Discrimination.

5/20/14

How Mortgage Servicers Are Still Harming California Homeowners- New California Reinvestment Coalition Report, With HERA and HERA Clients Contributing.

5/18/14

HERA Managing Attorney Lisa Sitkin and HERA Client KaRynn Kelly Testify at Sacramento Hearing on Homeowner Bill of Rights. Fast-forward to 1:20:50.

5/18/14

Bill Seeks To Address Widening Income Gap In California Between CEOs, Workers.

4/08/14

Consent order in Consumer Financial Protection Bureau & United States v. National City Bank (W.D. Pa.), an Equal Credit Opportunity Act and Fair Housing Act case. PNC Bank is the successor in interest to National City Bank. The complaint alleged a pattern or practice of discrimination on the basis of race and national origin in residential mortgage lending. The consent order requires PNC Bank to pay $35 million to African-American and Hispanic victims of National City Bank's discriminatory conduct.

3/26/14

California Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Racially Motivated Assault on White Man and African-American Woman

2/19/14

Citibank Agrees to Pay $110M to Settle Force-Placed Insurance Suit.

2/04/14

JPMorgan to pay $18.3 million to settle mortgage lawsuit.

12/19/13

CFPB Settles Against Ocwen for Over $2 Billion Dollars- See What It Means For You

11/07/13

HUD, DEUTSCHE BANK SUBSIDIARY MORTGAGEIT AGREE TO $12.1 MILLION SETTLEMENT OF LENDING DISCRIMINATION CLAIMS

10/28/13

Yes-- It's Chase again. JPMorgan Reaches Tentative $13 Billion Settlement With Justice Department: WSJ.

10/23/13

California Reinvestment Coalition, HERA, and a host of other partners request accountability for consumers on Department of Justice settlement with Chase.

9/20/13

BofA to Pay $39 Million for Sex Discrimination Case.

9/20/13

CFPB Orders JPMorgan Chase to repay $309 million to customers!

8/13/13

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Is Two Years Old! Here's What It Has Been Doing.

6/14/13

NEW CHART COMPARING AG SETTLEMENT, CFPB AND HOMEOWNER BILL OF RIGHTS DUAL-TRACKING PROTECTIONS- Prepared by Center for Responsible Lending

6/05/13

NEW VIDEOS
Getting Help and Avoiding Scams
(Find these videos on this page, to the right)

4/30/13

Third Wave of Payments Under Independent Foreclosure Review Settlement (Let's Hope These Don't Bounce)

4/30/13

Payments to Borrowers Who Had Goldman Sachs or Morgan Stanley as Servicer

4/18/13

The 2012 HERA Annual Report is now available. Click to download.

4/17/13

ALAMEDA COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY'S VICTIMS' RIGHTS WEEK EVENTS

4/01/13

$9.3 Billion in Payments and Foreclosure Assistance to Homeowners Related to Mortgage Servicing Abuses- to Begin in April 2013

2/25/13

Available for download: California's Homeowner Bill of Rights, which became law on January 1, 2013, provides homeowners with new rights and protections with respect to the foreclosure process.

2/06/13

IRS Announces Guidance on the Principal Reduction Alternative Offered in the Home Affordable Modification Program (HAMP)

1/15/13

OCC settled with some servicers for wrongful foreclosure practices.

12/18/12

You might have a tax bill if you lose your home, get principal reduction, or have other "cancellation of debt income". Read here and contact a tax expert.

Settlement with the financial services industry over wrongful foreclosures. For California homeowner information on what this might mean for you, visit the Office of the Attorney General website or write to HERA at inquiries@heraca.org

Fraud Alert: Important information about the AG Mortgage Settlement Announced February 9, 2012

NEW: Find out whether you owe money on your California home after foreclosure

Victim of housing, loan servicing or lending discrimination? Contact HUD

NEW VIDEO: Listen to a homeowner talk about what HERA's services meant to him and please see following announcement to help support HERA's work!

Please help support HERA's work by donating today!

VIDEO: Cuts to HUD Housing Counselors - Interview with HERA Executive Director Maeve Elise Brown

Foreclosure Prevention and Housing Resources (in English with Mandarin translation)

HERA's Foreclosure Defense Work Honored by Community Housing Development Corporation of North Richmond

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