In recent months, debt relief law firms have mailed volumes of cease and desist letters, credit reporting disputes, and debt validation requests to creditors.  These mailings, which are typically lacking in credibility, place an undue burden on businesses.  We first discuss responsive strategies creditors should consider for each type of mailing, including what obligations, if any, a creditor has to respond and the impact of state law.… Continue Reading

On June 29, 2021, the CFPB and the Attorney General of the State of Georgia filed a proposed order in connection with a joint lawsuit they filed a day earlier in federal district court in Georgia against Maryland-based debt-relief and credit-repair company Burlington Financial Group (“Burlington”) and three individual owners and executives. … Continue Reading

In its third lawsuit filed under the leadership of Acting Director Uejio, the CFPB, earlier this week, sued Student Loan Pro (SLP), a student loan debt relief company, its owner, and its manager, for alleged violations of the Telemarketing Sales Rule (TSR) and the Consumer Financial Protection Act.  The CFPB’s complaint, which was filed in a California federal district court, also names FNZA Marketing, LLC (FNZ) as a relief defendant.Continue Reading

On November 20, 2020, the CFPB filed a lawsuit against a student-loan debt-relief company, FDATR, Inc., and its owners, Dean Tucci and Kenneth Wayne Halverson. FDATR was an Illinois company that involuntarily dissolved in September 2020.  Through telemarketing and telephone sales, FDATR promised to provide student-loan debt-relief and credit-repair services to consumers.… Continue Reading

The CFPB recently filed suit in the Central District of California against Texas-based GST Factoring Inc. and two of its owners, along with Champion Marketing Solutions, LLC (“CMS”), its owner, and four separate attorneys.

In its complaint, the CFPB alleged that defendants violated the Telemarketing Sales Rule (TSR) prohibition on receiving advance fees for debt-relief services sold via telemarketing.… Continue Reading

The CFPB announced that it has entered into a proposed settlement with several of the defendants in the lawsuit it filed in January 2020 in a California federal district court that alleges the defendants obtained consumer reports unlawfully, charged unlawful advance fees, and engaged in deceptive conduct.

The defendants included Chou Team Realty, LLC, which does business as Monster Loans (Monster Loans), and Thomas Chou and Sean Cowell (the “Settling Defendants”). … Continue Reading

On March 10, 2020, the CFPB will host a day-long event entitled, “Evolutions in Consumer Debt Relief.”  The event will explore options for consumers facing unmanageable unsecured debt and limited credit options.

Panelists include representation from creditors, consumer advocates, and bankruptcy experts, as well as providers of debt settlement, debt management, and credit counseling services. … Continue Reading

The CFPB, joined by the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office, North Carolina Department of Justice, and the Los Angeles City Attorney, filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California against two companies involved in the marketing and sale of student-loan debt-relief services as well as individual owners and managers of the companies alleging violations of the CFPA, the Telemarketing Sales Rule (TSR), and various state laws.  … Continue Reading

The FTC announced settlements of two lawsuits filed in a California federal district court alleging similar violations of the FTC Act, the Telemarketing Sales Rule (TSR), and the Truth in Lending Act by providers of student debt relief services, their principals, and a Minnesota-based company that provided financing to customers of the providers involved in both complaints. … Continue Reading