National Consumer Law Center

How to Protect Yourself from Impostor Scams

Criminals pretend to be well-known companies or government agencies. Here are the red flags for 10 common schemes

AARP Fraud Watch Network

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Karen Lusson, a senior attorney at the National Consumer Law Center and author of a July report on disconnections during extreme heat, said legislatures should require all utilities, cooperatives and municipal utilities included, to follow both temperature-based and calendar-based prohibitions.

Short of that: “Public utility commissions can send letters to these non-regulated entities and encourage them to abide by the same rules as regulated public utilities.”

Read the report: https://www.nclc.org/resources/protecting-access-to-essential-utility-service/

Texas Observer

What the Data Says About Electricity Shutoffs During Sweltering Texas Summers The state's retail heat-advisory rule exempts municipal utilities or electric cooperatives. For those providers, federal data shows final notices continued through summer while actual disconnections varied sharply from one utility to another.

Consumer advocates tell MONEY that a few online lenders are notorious for exploiting what’s called the “rent-a-bank” loophole. They can circumvent state lending laws and charge APRs of 100% or more in places that explicitly ban such loans.

To understand exactly how lenders side-step state lending laws, Money combed through more than 600 pages of financial filings, bank charter applications, court records, public comments and consumer complaints. They uncovered not only the playbook but also a new plan to expand their lending practices under the Trump administration. cc: Center for Responsible Lending

Most States Ban Predatory Loans. Lenders Are Using This Loophole to Charge 150% APRs Anyway This niche lending loophole could soon become federal policy, setting off an APR arms race with grave consequences for borrowers.

Early Examples Show Efficiency and Demand Flexibility in Buildings Can Help Meet Data Center Loads - ACEEE | American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy As calls grow for data centers to fund their own power needs, efficiency and load shifting offer part of the solution

In just TWO WEEKS:
💸 $3.16 MILLION in lost revenue
🚶 46,000 fewer customer visits

That's the reality for many local California businesses under this administration’s immigration crackdown.

Read more from our report: https://americasvoiceeducationfund.org/resources/new-report-americas-voice-end-the-ice-tax-finds-mass-deportation-is-draining-californias-economy-and-emptying-storefronts/

The agencies’ actions follow the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s (CFPB) recent rulemaking that purported to change the law on the books about SPCPs. Ninety-three percent of the commenters on the CFPB’s rule opposed rolling back SPCPs.

The National Fair Housing Alliance has sued the CFPB to stop its arbitrary actions and prevent the rollback of SPCPs that advocates warn will have devastating, chilling effects on protections and programs that have worked to prevent discrimination and expand access to fair lending throughout the nation.

NFHA Statement Condemning Federal Rollback of Special Purpose Credit Programs  - NFHA FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: WASHINGTON, D.C.—The National Fair Housing Alliance (NFHA) strongly condemns the Trump Administration’s latest attack on key civil rights protections and affordable access to mortgages and lending for all people in the United States. The Equal Credit Opportunity Act, by st...

NFHA Statement Condemning Federal Rollback of Special Purpose Credit Programs  - NFHA FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: WASHINGTON, D.C.—The National Fair Housing Alliance (NFHA) strongly condemns the Trump Administration’s latest attack on key civil rights protections and affordable access to mortgages and lending for all people in the United States. The Equal Credit Opportunity Act, by st...

Why should a Rhode Islander care about a House draft? 𝐁𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐅𝐏𝐁 𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐨𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞.

For banks with "Federal," "FSB" or "FA" in the name, Rhode Island points consumers to federal regulators, including the CFPB. For a large share of the mortgages, cards, and accounts Rhode Islanders actually hold, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐞𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐫𝐞𝐠𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐠𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫.

Alys Cohen, NCLC's director of federal housing advocacy, said the draft threatens the bureau's ability to . Uprise RI

CFPB Overhaul Draft Draws Opposition; RI Stakes Explained A House discussion draft would reshape CFPB funding, enforcement and complaints. Why it matters for Rhode Island borrowers, banks and fair-lending cases.

Today, dozens of consumer, community, and civil rights organizations sent a letter to the House Financial Services Committee urging them to reject the CFPB Reform Act of 2026, a new proposal that, if passed, would severely limit the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s (CFPB) ability to hold big banks and tech companies accountable and to protect people from unfair, predatory, and discriminatory financial practices.

“Since 2010, the CFPB has returned more than $21 billion to people harmed by financial fraud and misconduct. But the Trump administration’s reductions in force and funding have left the consumer watchdog on life support, and the reckless deregulation bill before Congress threatens to pull the plug,” said Alys Cohen, director of federal housing advocacy and acting co-director of federal advocacy at the National Consumer Law Center. “Congress should be focused on the national affordability crisis, not attacking the only agency dedicated to putting money back in people’s pockets.” cc: Americans for Financial Reform

Coalition Condemns Sweeping CFPB Deregulation Bill CFPB Reform Act Would Enshrine Deregulation into Law and Leave People Vulnerable to Wall Street Greed