Acting CFPB Director Russell Vought was back in front of Congress today to face questions from Senators over the Bureau's actions under his watch. Some highlights and lowlights from today's proceedings 1/13

Highlights and lowlights from acting CFPB Director Russell Vought's first (and likely last) appearance before the House Financial Services Committee today: 1/16

Acting CFPB Director Russell Vought is appearing before a congressional committee now, justifying his dismantling of the agency. Never forget that one of his first moves was to order #CFPB staff to stop work, preventing them from helping families at imminent risk of foreclosure. #ProtectConsumers

Payday loan apps are just predatory loans with a fancy tech wrapper. Write to your representatives today to tell them to Vote NO on HR 9330 and demand that these apps abide by our current credit laws. Take Action Here: https://bit.ly/no9330 #StopTheAppTrap

Earned wage access apps are just payday loans in disguise. Let’s #StopTheAppTrap and ensure that all payday loan apps are accurately regulated and transparent! Take Action and tell Congress to vote NO on H.R. 9330: bit.ly/no9330

“'Agencies are small, resources are limited, courts can sometimes move slowly, and that is why [the New York City Department of Consumer and Worker Protection] and the administration strongly believes a private right of action should be added to the bill.'" prospect.org/2026/06/23/n...

New York City Wants to End Surveillance Pricing - The American Prospect

States have attempted to prevent companies from using personal information to set prices. New York City wants to give the public a chance to enforce the law.

prospect.org

NACA Executive Director Ira Rheingold: "On almost any consumer contract you see on page 20, hidden somewhere deep in the contract it says that you're giving up your right to go to court." Watch the whole interview: www.youtube.com/watch?app=de...

New blog post: basic cost of living is becoming increasingly unaffordable for many working families, yet companies are still charging consumers pay-to-pay junk fees just so they can keep access to basic necessities like transportation, housing, and utilities. Read more: medium.com/@nacadvocate...

Pay-to-pay junk fees are still burdening consumers

by Christine Hines

medium.com

Shameful pivot from the current CFPB's leadership. From protecting consumers to going after community lenders and the vulnerable consumers that they serve. www.washingtonpost.com/business/202...

How Trump allies turned a consumer watchdog into a political weapon

The administration that tried to kill the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has found a new use for it: advancing its political goals.

washingtonpost.com

NACA Executive Director Ira Rheingold: "At law firms that represent consumers the 'phones are ringing off the hook, because the federal government has abdicated its responsibility'” www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-i...

Why are US consumers so angry? It’s not just high prices

There’s a stew of factors at work behind the rise in consumer rage – but there are potential solutions, too

theguardian.com

Thank you to @blumenthal.senate.gov, @warren.senate.gov and @hankjohnson.house.gov for standing up for Bank of America customers' legal rights! In a recent letter, they called on BoA to immediately remove its recently added forced arbitration clause from all consumer contracts. shorturl.at/ZZbvJ

Blumenthal, Warren & Johnson Call on Bank of America to Restore Consumers' Legal Rights & Protections | U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] – Today, U.S. Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and U.S. Representative Hank Johnson (D-GA) wrote to...

blumenthal.senate.gov

ATTN Bank of America customers: Act now to keep your right to take the bank to court. Go to www.bankofamerica.com/arbitration-... or call the bank at 800-283-8875 to opt out of Bank of America's new forced arbitration clause.

Bank of America's new forced arbitration clause went into effect this week, meaning millions of their customers have lost their right to sue when harmed like these consumers did. Sign the petition to tell BoA to drop these clauses: actionnetwork.org/petitions/te... www.usatoday.com/story/money/...

Bank of America agrees to $2.25 million settlement in ATM fee lawsuit

Bank of America has agreed to a $2.25 million settlement to resolve a class-action lawsuit over fees charged at ATMs in 7-Eleven stores.

usatoday.com

After 17 years, Bank of America has added a forced arbitration clause back into its Online Banking Agreement. Sign the petition to tell Bank of America to drop this unfair clause and restore its customers' legal rights to go before a judge and jury: actionnetwork.org/petitions/te...

"Rejecting the trajectory of surveillance capitalism means insisting, clearly and unapologetically, that markets should serve the people — not the other way around." A must read by Sam Levine, Commissioner of NYC Dept. of Consumer & Worker Protection. jacobin.com/2026/05/surv...

The Surveillance Economy Is Here. This Is How We Fight Back.

Rejecting surveillance capitalism means insisting, clearly and unapologetically, that markets should serve the people — not the other way around, writes NYC Department of Consumer and Worker Protectio...

jacobin.com

There's still time to opt out of Bank of America's new forced arbitration clause! If you don't feel comfortable opting out by phone you can also go to bankofamerica.com/arbitration-optout. Opt out by 5/18 or lose your right your right to sue or join class actions against Bank of America!

Jon Hutson@jonhutson.bsky.social · 4mo ago

If you have a Bank of America account, do this. Call Bank of America at 800.283.8875, enter the last 4 digits of your SSN, listen to their recorded spiel, & say "Yes" to opt out of their unfair mandatory arbitration agreement that bars you from joining any lawsuit or class action against the bank.

"Nearly 80 percent of Fortune 500 companies...use forced arbitration...Just last year, 580,000 cases were filed with a single arbitration provider, more than all the civil cases in the federal court system in the last fiscal year." #EndForcedArbitration www.nytimes.com/2026/05/01/o...

Opinion | He Signed Away His Right to Sue by Subscribing to Disney+

nytimes.com

"And perhaps most importantly, there must be an all-of-government approach...to aggressively fight back against arbitration agreements that destroy accountability and distort our democratic institutions." #EndForcedArbitration

Hire 10,000 Corporate Cops

In 1996, President Clinton campaigned on the promise of putting thousands of new police officers on the street. Looking back, it's easy to see how this cheap brand of politics consciously avoided actu...

democracyjournal.org

NACA Members! Don't miss your chance to pay the lowest rate to attend Spring Training! The early bird deadline is TOMORROW! We hope you join us in Minneapolis Apr. 30 - May 3 for an incredible gathering of the best minds consumer law. www.consumeradvocates.org/training-eve...

Spring Training - NACA

Register Today Why Attend? Join the community of consumer advocates to learn from leaders how we can work together to support and protect the vulnerable from financial exploitation and fight back agai...

consumeradvocates.org

"Christine Hines, senior policy director at the National Association of Consumer Advocates, said there are laws that give consumers specific rights in certain situations, including disputes involving credit reports under the Fair Credit Reporting Act." www.investigatetv.com/2026/03/11/c...

Now that miscellaneous itemized deductions have been permanently eliminated, consumer-taxpayers who win or settle cases against bad corporate actors may find themselves without a solution to a tricky unfair tax problem. Learn more in our new blog post: medium.com/p/2025-fundi...

2025 Funding Act Permanently Eliminates Lifeline for Certain Consumer-Taxpayers

By: Sophia Huang

medium.com

On yo-yo financing: “'It doesn’t even have to be highly regulated,' agrees NACA senior policy director Christine Hines. 'It just means the contract is a final contract — there shouldn’t be any conditions on it that [harm] a consumer… because the dealer doesn’t know how to conduct a transaction.'”

Yo-Yo Financing: The Shady Lending Tactic That Can Cost You Your Car Even If You Make Every Payment | Bankrate

Marklyn Johnson drove to the grocery store in March 2025 with her boyfriend and 5-month-old son. They needed groceries, and welcomed a warm indoor diversion on a cold Connecticut winter day.  As they ...

bankrate.com

"When we buy something...the cost shouldn't include our fundamental protections given to us by the Constitution and by our state legislators," said NACA senior policy director Christine Hines on CBS Philadelphia's In Your Corner Podcast. Watch the full episode: www.cbsnews.com/philadelphia...

Looking for an exciting new opportunity? We're expanding our team and looking for a new Litigation Associate! Please email your resume and cover letter to be considered. www.linkedin.com/feed/update/...

Join our team! NACA is looking for an attorney to join our Litigation Project and leverage our unique standing to fight on behalf of consumers. Please review the opportunity below and send your… | Nat...

Join our team! NACA is looking for an attorney to join our Litigation Project and leverage our unique standing to fight on behalf of consumers. Please review the opportunity below and send your applic...

linkedin.com

It's National Consumer Protection Week! Here's a tip from consumer attorneys on how to spot a scam caller: look out for attempts to create a sense of urgency. #NCPW2026

NACA's Executive Director Ira Rheingold at a rally to #DefendCFPB and support CFPB workers: "We have to build a stronger and bolder community of lawyers committed to consumer justice"

"The DC Circuit should likewise force the administration to take specific steps to keep the CFPB running, said Christine Hines, the senior policy director at the National Association of Consumer Advocates. 'There’s a lot of fog,' she said."

Trump’s Mixed Messages on CFPB Set for Grilling by Full DC Court

Appellate judges in Washington will have to determine whether the Trump administration’s moves to dismantle the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau outweigh officials’ public statements that they pla...

news.bloomberglaw.com

The CFPB still stands a year after the Trump admin tried to delete it, thanks to its staff and advocates. But, the attacks on the Bureau have not stopped. It's time for Congress to show working people some love and restore CFPB funding so it can get back to protecting consumers. #LoveCFPB

NACA analyzed complaints to the CFPB that mentioned arbitration and found that financial institutions are using forced arbitration clauses to confuse and prevent consumers from accessing justice. Learn more with our new fact sheet: www.consumeradvocates.org/comment-lett...

Fact Sheet: Consumer Complaints to the CFPB About Arbitration Reveal Challenges in Accessing Justice - NACA

NACA released a new fact sheet sharing results from an analysis of all consumer complaints submitted to the CFPB in 2025 that referenced arbitration.

consumeradvocates.org

The CFPB still stands a year after Vought tried to delete it, thanks to workers and leading advocates like @crlonline.bsky.social's Mike Calhoun. Check out his video and demand Congress show some love this Valentine’s Day by restoring CFPB funding. Click here: bit.ly/lovecfpb #CFPBMyValentine