Cfpb

Catherine New

CFPB Looks To Make Rules For Prepaid Cards

HuffingtonPost.com | Catherine New | Posted 05.23.2012

The government's top consumer sheriff wants to rein in the Wild West of prepaid cards, even as some of the biggest players in the financial industry m...

The Latest Bank To Raise Fees

The Huffington Post | Catherine New | Posted 05.17.2012

Another bank is raising fees. U.S. Bank is bumping up overdraft fees for all its accounts beginning June 29, the Minneapolis-based bank confirmed o...

5 Tips for Finding and Working with a Financial Professional

Women & Co | Posted 05.09.2012

Women & Co

You're a modern woman. You don't cut your own hair or sew your own wardrobe. You rely on professionals. So, it makes sense to consider getting professional help with your finances, too.

Forget Credit Scores: The Case for Credit Grades

Justine Rivero | Posted 05.01.2012

Justine Rivero

If you've had a headache trying to understand your own credit score, pass the aspirin; you aren't the only one.

A Sign That He's Helping People

The Huffington Post | Bonnie Kavoussi | Posted 04.20.2012

The complaint portals at the newly created Consumer Protection Bureau might really be helping people. On Thursday, Consumerist.com posted a story f...

Payday Lenders Know You Gotta Spend Money To Make Money

The Huffington Post | Alexander Eichler | Posted 04.20.2012

Consumer advocates in Washington have pledged to battle payday lenders, the quick-cash loan shops that often charge ruinously high interest rates to p...

Consumer Watchdog Eyes Discrimination By Lenders

AP | DANIEL WAGNER | Posted 04.18.2012

WASHINGTON -- The Obama administration's consumer-finance watchdog says it is cracking down on lenders that discriminate against minorities and women....

Watchdog To 'Stop Discrimination In Its Tracks'

Reuters | Posted 04.19.2012

By Dave Clarke WASHINGTON, April 18 (Reuters) - The new U.S. consumer financial watchdog said on Wednesday it will aggressively pursue...

Loren Berlin

Agency Backs Down In Fight To Limit Credit Card Fees

HuffingtonPost.com | Loren Berlin | Posted 04.12.2012

The government agency tasked with protecting consumers is backing down in its fight to limit credit card fees. The Consumer Financial Protection Bu...

Paying For College Just Got A Bit Easier

Posted 04.11.2012

As millions of high school students receive college acceptance letters inviting them to embark on one of the most expensive journeys of their lives, t...

Bank Lets Old Woman Rack Up Astronomical Fees

The Huffington Post | Catherine New | Posted 04.06.2012

So much for local banks behaving better than the big ones. Webster Bank, a regional bank with 165 branches southern New England and New York, allo...

This Sneaky Trick Doesn't Work Anymore For Payday Lenders

The Huffington Post | Alexander Eichler | Posted 04.24.2012

Lately, payday lenders have been linking up with Native American tribes as a way to sidestep U.S. law. Federal authorities seem less and less willi...

Got Finance Questions? Gov't Site Offers Help

Posted 03.22.2012

It's not quite Siri, but a new online question and answer tool created by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is gunning to be the most comprehen...

50 Years Ago This Week, JFK Ushered in Modern Consumer Protection Era

Ed Mierzwinski | Posted 05.13.2012

Ed Mierzwinski

As President Kennedy said fifty years ago, consumer protection "is not a game." While we haven't yet achieved all of President Kennedy's ambitious agenda "to make certain that our Nation's economy fairly and adequately serves consumers' interests," it's a cause worth fighting for.

This Guy Wants To Hear Your Student Loan Complaints

AP | By DANIEL WAGNER | Posted 03.05.2012

WASHINGTON -- The government's new consumer protection agency started accepting complaints Monday about student loans. The Consumer Financial Protect...

Catherine New

Stopping Lawless Debt Collectors From Harassing You

HuffingtonPost.com | Catherine New | Posted 03.01.2012

Cebilla DeCastro still disconnects her phone at night, afraid of the calls from creditors. The 48-year-old prep cook filed for bankruptcy in June 2...

Debt Collector Harassment Surging

Naked Capitalism | Matt Stoller | Posted 02.28.2012

I went through the Federal Reserve’s Quarterly Release on Household Debt and Credit released today, and there were two notable trends. One is that ...

Zach Carter

CFPB Crowdsources Nominations For Key Advisory Posts

HuffingtonPost.com | Zach Carter | Posted 02.23.2012

WASHINGTON -- In a significant break with traditional federal policy, the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is appealing directly to the public...

Bank of America Can Charge You This Much In Fees In One Day

The Huffington Post | Catherine New | Posted 02.23.2012

Bank of America can lift at least $140 in fees off a customer in one day if he or she doesn't have enough money in the bank. That is the high cost...

Consumer Watchdog's Latest Targets

AP | DANIEL WAGNER | Posted 04.17.2012

WASHINGTON — The nation's new cop on the consumer-finance beat is zeroing in on debt collectors and credit reporting companies. The Consumer Fi...

Catherine New

How Closed Is Your Bank Account?

HuffingtonPost.com | Catherine New | Posted 02.13.2012

Some customers who closed bank accounts at Bank of America last fall recently received an unwelcome surprise: Their accounts reopened. Perhaps even mo...

Alabama's Largest City Looks For Alternatives To Payday Lenders

The Huffington Post | Alexander Eichler | Posted 02.10.2012

The biggest city in Alabama is putting its payday lenders on notice. Bankers and community leaders in Birmingham, Alabama met Thursday to discuss d...

Michael McAuliff

GOP Senators Promise To Join Suit Against Obama Recess Appointments

HuffingtonPost.com | Michael McAuliff | Posted 02.04.2012

WASHINGTON -- A group of 39 Republican senators signed on to a letter Friday promising to join lawsuits against President Obama's recent recess appoin...

Alice Hines

Rent-A-Center CEO: New Consumer Bureau Won’t Have Authority Over Us

HuffingtonPost.com | Alice Hines | Posted 02.03.2012

Ahead of Sunday's Super Bowl, many cash-strapped football fans will head to Rent-A-Center, America's largest "rent-to-own" retailer, to look for TVs. ...

CFPB Weighs in on International Money Transfers

Kevin L. Petrasic | Posted 04.02.2012

Kevin L. Petrasic

At the most basic level, the issue remains how to implement increased consumer protections without increasing the costs that are passed onto consumers to provide such benefits.