Federal Consumer Protection News: September 2022
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has ordered Regions Bank to pay $50 million into the CFPB’s victims relief fund and to refund at least $141 million to customers harmed by allegedly illegal surprise overdraft fees. According to the consent order resolving the matter, from August 2018 through July 2021, Regions…
Attorney General Consumer Protection News: September 2022
Multistate Actions Led by Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge, Connecticut Attorney General William Tong, and North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein, 51 attorneys general called on the Federal Communication Commission (FCC) to require telephone providers that route calls across the U.S. telephone network to implement more rigorous measures to prevent illegal and fraudulent robocalls from bombarding…
Consumer Chief of the Month: Fran Oleen, Deputy Attorney General, Consumer Protection and Antitrust Division, Kansas Attorney General’s Office
In 1999, after a three-year stint in the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General’s Corps, I joined the Consumer Protection and Antitrust Division of Kansas Attorney General’s Office as an Assistant Attorney General under then-Attorney General Carla Stovall. My work included suing unlicensed pharmacies for selling prescription medications to Kansas via the internet, which was a…
An Internet Privacy Win for Maine Consumers
On September 2, 2022, trade associations for the nation’s largest telecommunication services dropped a federal lawsuit that challenged a landmark Maine privacy law. The law provides some of the strongest protection for broadband internet customers in the country, according to PBS Newshour and other media outlets.1 The law – Title 35-A M.R.S.A. § 9301 –…
NAAG Calls on the FCC to Require Voice Service Providers to Increase Anti-Robocall Protections
The National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG) called on the Federal Communication Commission (FCC) to require the telephone providers that route calls across the U.S. telephone network to implement more rigorous measures to prevent illegal and fraudulent robocalls from bombarding Americans. The FCC is proposing expanding many of these rules to those few phone companies…
51 Attorney Generals Calls on FCC to Require More Voice Service Providers to Put in Place Anti-Robocall Protections
The National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG) calls on the Federal Communication Commission (FCC) to require the telephone providers that route calls across the U.S. telephone network to implement more rigorous measures to prevent illegal and fraudulent robocalls from bombarding Americans. Illegal robocalls cost consumers, law enforcement, and the telecom industry approximately $13.5 billion every…
Consumer Chief of the Month: Brian McMath, New Mexico Attorney General’s Office
I came to law school in 2012 because I really wanted to work on “big” things, impactful things that made a difference to a lot of people. I didn’t really know what that meant in practice, but that was the general guiding principle. A law professor recommended I apply at the New Mexico Office of…
Federal Consumer Protection News: August 2022
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) published guidance regarding data security requirements for financial companies. The circular provides guidance to consumer protection enforcers, including examples of when firms can be held liable for lax data security protocols. The CFPB settled with Hello Digit, LLC, a financial technology company, resolving allegations that…
Attorney General Consumer Protection News: August 2022
Multistate Actions A bipartisan coalition of 36 attorneys general announced a $450 million agreement in principle with opioid maker Endo International plc and its lenders as part of Endo’s bankruptcy filing. The tentative agreement would provide up to $450 million to participating states and local governments, ban promotion of Endo’s opioids, and require Endo to…
NAAG 2022 Presidential Summit Highlights Consumer Protection Issues Related to Technology
The NAAG Presidential Summit, hosted by NAAG President and Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller, was held on August 9th and 10th in Des Moines. The Summit’s theme was Consumer Protection 2.0: Tech Threats and Tools. The Summit attracted 175 attendees from attorney general offices, federal agencies, and the private and non-profit sectors. Attendees enjoyed unseasonably…
