Consumer Law

The End of Excess: Is This Crisis Good for America?

Posted on March 30, 2009
The End of Excess: Is This Crisis Good for America? | Time Related posts:Anatomy of a Meltdown: The Credit CrisisCommentary: How to prevent the next Wall Street crisisCrisis rooted in bankruptcy law Related posts:Anatomy of a Meltdown: The Credit CrisisCommentary: How to prevent the next Wall Street crisisCrisis rooted in bankruptcy law

Coping with garnishment

Posted on March 27, 2009
Undoubtedly, one of the most frustrating aspects of debt collection for consumers is having their bank accounts garnished (or levied) by creditors. It is a process that is often misunderstood and my goal is to provide general information that I hope is helpful...

Understanding the federal bailout

Posted on March 27, 2009
It all makes sense now… (Click for the video.) Related posts:Foreclosed and nowhere to go? Stay putWhy Isn’t the Bailout Working?House passes bailout Related posts:Foreclosed and nowhere to go? Stay putWhy Isn’t the Bailout Working?House passes bailout

Dateline takes on the debt collection industry

Posted on March 27, 2009
Tonight, Dateline took a good, hard look at the debt collection industry. Dateline went the extra mile to show that, for many collection agencies, abusive tactics are the rule, not the exception. , despite agency for promoting abusive collectors (”call the boss at home, that’s my favorite thing to do” & “you can’t swear, [...

To access this complete feed in the blog feed reader login or register for free.

How not to defend a debt collection lawsuit

Posted on March 26, 2009
When I worked as a collection attorney, I would see the same erroneous defenses over and over again. Here are some of the most common: You don’t have a signed contract Somewhat surprisingly, creditors are not required to produce a signed contract to prevail in court...

3 questions for Todd Murray

Posted on March 26, 2009
Todd is new here. (This post is late, because he has already been posting about debt collection all week.) 1. Who are you and what do you do? I am a consumer rights lawyer. I primarily represent consumers sued by debt collectors, homeowners facing foreclosure, and victims of abusive debt collection...

Overdraft loans drive everyone crazy

Posted on March 26, 2009
Above, watch the trailer for Karney Hatch’s “Overdrawn!”, a documentary which chronicles his fight against absurd overdraft fees.  In his journey, Hatch ends up talking with several AFFIL Partners as well as Ralph Nader. He currently has an action posted on Change...

Capital One jacking up interest rates

Posted on March 25, 2009
Related posts:Capital One charges 70% interest?Banks keep credit card interest rates high despite low Fed ratesPayday lending interest rates forced down in Ohio

90% of life (and defending debt buyer lawsuits) is just showing up

Posted on March 25, 2009
Although skeptics argue that Woody Allen’s famous observation over-simplifies the path to success, consumers sued by debt buyers will benefit from following Woody’s advice. Of course, a debt buyer is a business that purchases debt from the original creditor and then sues consumers to collect the debts...

Do?s and don?ts of dealing with debt collectors

Posted on March 24, 2009
There are too many to list, but here are a couple of the most important ones: Don’t tell a debt collector where you bank or where you work Debt collectors are always in hot pursuit of bank and employer information because bank and wage garnishments are easy and inexpensive ways to collect a debt...

Freshbooks: painless customer service

Posted on March 24, 2009
Freshbooks: painless customer service | Lawyerist Related posts:Government To Airlines: Improve Customer Service Or ElseRoll like a CEO; skip the customer service queue and go right to the topFormer Countywide Employee Arrested For Stealing, Selling Customer Identities Related posts:Government To Airlines: Improve Customer Service Or ElseRoll like a CEO; skip the customer service queue and go right to the topFormer Countywide Employee Arrested For Stealing, Selling Customer Identities

Tenant evicted even though she pays rent on time

Posted on March 24, 2009
Tenant evicted even though she pays rent on time | CNN Related posts:Bad Credit? Why You Shouldn’t ‘Rent to Own’Man Sets Himself On Fire At Rent-A-Center After Receiving Too Many Late Payment NoticesLatest Gallup Poll Shows 43% of Americans Pays Credit in Full Related posts:Bad Credit? Why You Shouldn’t ‘Rent to Own’Man Sets Himself On Fire At Rent-A-Center After Receiving Too Many Late Payment NoticesLatest Gallup Poll Shows 43% of Americans Pays Credit in Full

There are no secret programs to get out of debt

Posted on March 23, 2009
Consumer lawyers and collection lawyers agree about as often as Bill O’Reilly and Keith Olbermann. But one thing they do agree on is the dubious value of most for-profit companies that promise to get consumers out of debt. They go by many different names: credit counseling agencies, debt settlement companies, debt negotiators, etc...

Small print: why we need a Financial Product Safety Commission

Posted on March 23, 2009
“In America, we don’t say ‘buyer beware’ when people are buying prescription drugs or when they’re concerned about lead paint in toys,” says Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), a cosponsor of a bill that would create a Financial Product Safety Commission, which would oversee mortgages, credit cards, and other financial instruments...

Minnesota Lawyer on anti-consumer attorney fee legislation

Posted on March 21, 2009
Michelle Lore at Minnesota Lawyer picked up on my post about Minnesota DFL’ers out to eviscerate consumer protection laws. She included quotes from several Minnesota attorneys, who point out that in addition to being a dumb idea, the bill attacks the idea of a “private attorney general...

Another five mistakes homeowners make when facing foreclosure (Foreclosure Week)

Posted on March 20, 2009
Another five common mistakes for homeowners in foreclosure. Related posts:Five common mistakes homeowners make during foreclosure (Foreclosure Week)Facing foreclosure? talk to a housing counselor (Foreclosure Week)The five (mental) stages of foreclosure (Foreclosure Week)

Wellstone economics: a few lessons we still need to learn (Foreclosure Week)

Posted on March 19, 2009
Over the past few years, I’ve had the privilege of editing a collection of Senator Paul Wellstone’s floor speeches that he gave  from 1991 to 2002.  The book was published last fall by the North Star Press, and has a wonderful foreword by Minnesota Secretary of State Mark Ritchie...

Surviving the perfect economic storm: tent cities in America (Foreclosure Week)

Posted on March 19, 2009
From the Library of Congress, we have a photographic collage of Hoovervilles (the tent cities that popped up around cities during the Great Depression). And now we have the Houses that Greenspan Built: (photo: Library of Congress) Mark Ireland is a consumer rights lawyer, and will be posting at Caveat Emptor until March 20, 2009...

Five common mistakes homeowners make during foreclosure (Foreclosure Week)

Posted on March 18, 2009
The top ten mistakes that a homeowner makes when facing foreclosure. Related posts:Facing foreclosure? talk to a housing counselor (Foreclosure Week)The five (mental) stages of foreclosure (Foreclosure Week)What to do instead of waiting for a notice of foreclosure

Payday loans under fire in the Minnesota legislature

Posted on March 18, 2009
There are two bills (HF0914 & HF1471) pending in the Minnesota legislature. HF0914 would eliminate payday loans entirely. HF1471 would impose some regulations on payday lenders and adds a private right of action for consumers, with attorney fees and costs...

Pay your bills with awesome

Posted on March 18, 2009
This check is apparently from Randall Munroe, who draws the popular XKCD comic: Bill Payment Win | Fail Blog Related posts:Why DRM sucksWatching NBC shows online is awesome, but the ads are terribleMinnesota lawmakers consider three foreclosure bills Related posts:Why DRM sucksWatching NBC shows online is awesome, but the ads are terribleMinnesota lawmakers consider three foreclosure bills

Facing foreclosure? talk to a housing counselor (Foreclosure Week)

Posted on March 17, 2009
If you are a homeowner facing foreclosure, do not rely on your Google skills or internet chat rooms for information. Instead, call 1-888-995-HOPE or go to the NeighborWorks America website. NeighborWorks was selected by the U.S. Congress and the President to administer a $360 million program to provide free, certified, and trained counselors to homeowners who [...

How to make a Black and Tan

Posted on March 17, 2009
Happy Saint Patrick’s Day! A day that should be a national holiday. Now for some useful advice: Take 1 Take 2 Related posts:Free Christmas music from Amazon MP3Let’s make a dealTalk your way out of a ticket Related posts:Free Christmas music from Amazon MP3Let’s make a dealTalk your way out of a ticket

Business pursuing anti-consumer legislation in this economy?

Posted on March 17, 2009
Business pursuing anti-consumer legislation in this economy? | Consumer Law & Policy Blog Related posts:Presidential candidates’ votes on 2007 consumer legislation (CL&P Blog crosspost)Poll: Politicians trusted more than business leaders on economyConsumer Protection Related posts:Presidential candidates’ votes on 2007 consumer legislation (CL&P Blog crosspost)Poll: Politicians trusted more than business leaders on economyConsumer Protection

Credit card companies hike rates and cut credit lines

Posted on March 17, 2009
It’s tough to follow up on a post about how to make a Black and Tan, but I’ll give it a try.  I was inspired to write by an interesting discussion over at the Consumerist about credit card rate hikes and credit line cuts.  Many AFFIL members have written to us about this phenomenon, and [...

The five (mental) stages of foreclosure (Foreclosure Week)

Posted on March 16, 2009
There are two parties in foreclosure: the homeowner and the lender. At any given time, either of these parties in foreclosure may be at one of the five stages of the foreclosure crisis as outlined below. If you are an attorney, housing counselor, family member, lender or the person in foreclosure, you need to quickly determine [...

Subscribe to Caveat Emptor

Posted on March 15, 2009
Don’t forget to subscribe to Caveat Emptor. You can have posts emailed to you, add our RSS feed to your reader, or follow us on Twitter. Related posts:Subscribe to Caveat EmptorSubscribe to Caveat EmptorSubscribe to Caveat Emptor Related posts:Subscribe to Caveat EmptorSubscribe to Caveat EmptorSubscribe to Caveat Emptor

Guest blogging this week: Mark Ireland

Posted on March 15, 2009
Mark Ireland, former Minnesota Assistant Attorney General, now staff attorney at the Housing Preservation Project, will be joining Caveat Emptor this week to blog about foreclosure. Mark’s bio after the jump. Mark Ireland graduated with honors from the University of Minnesota School of Law in 2000...

Link roundup

Posted on March 13, 2009
Sprint Lies To FCC About Ripping Off Consumer Reporter | Consumerist FCC: Sprint can be judge and jury | The Red Tape Chronicles FTC fights FreeCreditReport.com with spoof ad | The Red Tape Chronicles Related posts:Friday link roundupLink roundupSunday link roundup Related posts:Friday link roundupLink roundupSunday link roundup

Defaults in Minnesota in 2008 increase 39% over 2007

Posted on March 13, 2009
If the default numbers for Minnesota are any indication, debt collectors are falling all over themselves, suing everyone in sight. In 2007, a “mere” 36,000 defaults were filed. In 2008, that number jumped to just over 51,000. Some were responsible for more of those lawsuits than others...

Bloggers, promote your law blog by nominating your blog for inclusion in USLaw.com's Law Blog Directory and RSS Reader. Benefits described.