Congressman Jeb Hensarling of Texas, whose campaign has received more than $8 million from the financial sector since 2010, has long endeavored to undercut the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, an agency that regulates many of the businesses that keep Hensarling’s election campaigns flush with contributions. So it’s of little surprise that the lawmaker is thrilled at Education Secretary Betsy DeVos’ recent decision to stop working with the CFPB on student loans — even though the Bureau has returned hundreds of millions of dollars to screwed-over student borrowers. [More]
consumer complaints
Bank-Backed Congressman Praises Betsy DeVos For Cutting Ties With Consumer Protection Agency
By 10.16.17
Borrowers With Federal Student Loans Made By Private Lenders At Greater Risk For Default
By 10.14.15
Consumers who took out federal student loans through private lenders are more likely to default on their debts than their counterparts who received federal loans through the Department of Education, in part because these borrowers have difficulty obtaining adequate information on repayment options. [More]
Another Report Finds NHTSA Failed To Hold Automakers Responsible For Defects, Other Issues
By 6.22.15
The hits keep on coming for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Less than a month after internal reports determined the agency failed to adequately address the General Motors ignition switch defect that has been linked to more than 100 deaths, an audit from the U.S. Department of Transportation identified a plethora of shortcomings within the auto-safety regulator’s Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) that prevent it from properly protecting consumers from vehicle defects. [More]
Airline Performance Slips; Virgin America Named No. 1 For Third Time In Annual Airline Survey
By 4.13.15
Many consumers have a love-hate relationship with airlines: We love that they get us from point A to point B faster than a car, but we hate all the little fees, the inevitable delays and the occasional lost bag. It looks like all that hate once again won out, as this year’s Airline Quality Rating Survey found performance declined across all customer-focused categories just a year after the industry’s best scores in 25 years. The only carryover from the hopeful 2013 report was Virgin America’s ranking as top airline for the third consecutive year. [More]
CFPB Receives Double The Consumer Complaints In 2013, But Sought Fewer Explanations
By 4.1.14
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau heard a lot from consumers in 2013. The agency received the most complaints in its history, including those from three new areas – payday loans, money transfers and debt collections. But it appears that fewer complaints were sent to offending companies for review and response. [More]
Lawmakers Call On FCC To Make Complaint Database Accessible To Public
By 3.26.14
Every year, the FCC receives hundreds of thousands of complaints from consumers, but those gripes are rarely made public. That’s why a pair of Senators are urging the Commission to follow the lead of other federal agencies that offer public, searchable databases of complaints. [More]
Annual Consumer Complaints Survey Says Car Problems Really Grind Our Gears
By 7.31.12
There are plenty of things out there to complain about — after all, fighting back against the companies and industries that let down consumers is why we’re here in the first place. And according to a new survey from the Consumer Federation of America, the area we’re most cranky about is (drumroll, please)… car shopping! Of course, there are plenty of other consumer woes as well. [More]
CPSC To Create New Searchable Database For Consumer Complaints
By 4.16.10
The Consumer Products Safety Commission has voted to create a new database of consumer complaints that will allow consumers to “see complaints of injuries or potential harm that are filed to the commission by consumers, safety groups, health care professionals and others,”
says the Chicago Tribune. Previously this information only became public after it led to a recall. [More]
Top Ten Consumer Complaints To State AG's In 2008
By 8.31.09
The National Association of Attorneys General has polled state attorneys general, who are typically responsible for enforcing consumer protection laws in their states, and announced the top ten consumer complaints for 2008. It’s an interesting list.
