Press Release Archive
2021
January
21
- New debt collection rule is a mixed bag for consumer rights. Bad news: New debt collection rule permits unlimited electronic access to consumers. Good news: It may eliminate "debt parking" by forcing debt collectors
2019
17
- Consumer groups urge action on bill to stop “spoofed” robocalls. For Immediate Release WASHINGTON, DC — A bipartisan bill reintroduced today in the Senate will address the growing problem of “spoofed” robocalls that
15
- Consumers prefer a paper trail (Survey says consumers choose paper statements over electronic notices). The message is clear: Consumers overwhelmingly prefer to receive bills and statements on paper rather than electronically, according to a new survey of more than 2,600
2018
December
03
- Paper or digital? Consumer Action joins new campaign to protect consumers’ right to choose (Keep Me Posted North America launches today). Consumer Action joins new global advocacy campaign working for the right of every consumer to choose, free of charge, how they receive important information from their service providers—on paper or electronically.
October
16
- Consumer groups applaud expanded resources for LEP borrowers. WASHINGTON, D.C.- Today, consumer advocacy and civil rights groups, including Americans for Financial Reform Education Fund, the Center for Responsible Lending, Connecticut Fair
July
- Protect the CFPB’s critical complaint process. Groups representing consumers, students, seniors, servicemembers, homeowners and underserved Americans joined forces today to tell the temporary leadership of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB)
June
04
- Groups tell temporary CFPB director: Hands off the public database!. Keep the public consumer complaint database open was the clear message sent by scores of groups to the temporary acting director of the Consumer Financial
May
24
- If companies can protect user data in Europe, they can protect it everywhere (Advocates release letter urging companies to adopt Europe’s new data protection rules worldwide). Washington, D.C. – U.S. companies should adopt essentially the same data protection rules that are poised to go into effect in the European
April
30
- Consumer groups stand up to threats to take complaint database dark (Groups tell acting CFPB director to react after he collects all the facts). Consumer, privacy, civil rights and fair lending groups from across the nation called on temporary, Acting Director Mick Mulvaney today to retain availability of the
February
06
- Consumer advocates argue for a strong, independent CFPB (Agency’s independence is necessary to its mission, groups tell Appellate court). For Immediate Release: Feb. 6, 2018 WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s (CFPB) independence from external political influence is crucial
01
- Transfer of CFPB consumer complaints unit offers no clear benefit. The following statement can be attributed jointly to Americans for Financial Reform, Consumer Action and U.S. PIRG: This week, Office of Management and Budget
January
31
- Consumers win appeal for CFPB independence. Consumers scored a big win today when an appeals court ruled that the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s (CFPB) structure as an independent agency
2017
December
08
- Consumer advocates file in support of acting CFPB director (Agency’s independence is necessary to its mission). The U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s (CFPB) independence from external political influence is crucial to the agency’s mission of protecting
November
14
- Groups fight FCC Chair's plan to 'effectively destroy' low-income LIfeline (Consumer, rural and Native American voices sound the alarm). Groups push back at a plan by Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai to bar "non-facilities providers"—wireless resellers—from the low-income Lifeline phone subsidy program. In doing so, the FCC would knock out four of the five biggest Lifeline wireless providers providing an estimated 75 percent of wireless Lifeline accounts.
October
25
- Congress repeals rule to protect consumer rights to class action. A sad day for consumer rights! Republicans in Congress have decided: There will be no meaningful justice for consumers wronged by the wealthy and powerful.
July
- Consumer Action condemns the House's vote to repeal class actions. The U.S. House of Representatives passed a resolution (H.J. Res. 111) today to repeal the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) rule to restore
20
- Consumer Action opposes Congress's attack on class actions. Members of both the U.S. House and Senate took a hatchet to consumer protection today by introducing Congressional Review Act (CRA) resolutions to
June
29
- Consumer Action responds to today’s GAO report on Lifeline. Ken McEldowney, executive director of Consumer Action, released the following statement today in response to a report released by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) on the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) Lifeline program, a program that has provided discounted and no-charge phone service for low-income Americans for over three decades.
March
08
- Consumer protections at risk (Consumer Action highlights recent consumer gains now in the cross hairs). Consumer Action News reviews many of the gains made in recent months to protect consumers’ personal safety, online privacy, dispute resolution rights and more. However, many of these critical consumer protections are in danger of disappearing under a new administration and GOP-controlled Congress.
February
03
- New regime plans to 'trump' consumer protections. Statement by Linda Sherry, Director, National Priorities, Consumer Action President Trump’s announcement today to dismantle the Dodd-Frank financial protection law and cripple the
2016
November
15
- Low-income consumers have options for affordable internet (Consumer Action and Comcast team up to educate consumers about low-cost broadband plans for low-income households). Consumer Action and Comcast have partnered to create a free multilingual educational guide, “Getting up to speed: Broadband internet for low-income households.”
September
30
- One million reasons why consumers need the CFPB. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) hit the one million mark this week. The Bureau has received more than one million individual consumer complaints about
28
- Consumer Action joins White House campaign to 'Lock Down Your Login' (Advice to help consumers enable the strongest authentication tools for online accounts). Consumer Action joins a new campaign, “Lock Down Your Login,” to urge Americans to limit their personal cybercrime risk and better protect their key social media, email and bank accounts by enabling strong authentication.
August
23
- Consumer Action joins 280 groups in supporting rule that would restore your right to sue. WASHINGTON, DC—Consumer Action joined together with 280 consumer, civil rights, labor, community and non-profit organizations to emphasize strong and broad-based support for the Consumer
July
29
- Consumers get the last word on complaints (Consumer Action applauds CFPB’s latest move to improve its complaint system). The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) is adding a five star system ratings scale to its complaint process to give consumers an efficient way to