Links in “FTC”

Two Florida companies have been charged by the FTC for illegally selling the data of consumers completing their online payday loan applications to companies who subsequently raided the applicants' bank accounts for at least $7.1 million. [8/13/15]

The FTC will be holding its second and third debt collection dialogues this fall. The best part? Both events are free and open to the public! [7/20/15]

Two payday lenders who were charged by the FTC last year have decided to settle and will be banned from consumer lending and charged with a total fee of $55 million. [7/8/15]

The FTC will be mailing $467,000 in checks to consumers who lost money due to a mortgage relief service scheme by Jackson, Crowder & Associates and Crowder Law Group. [6/8/15]

The FTC shuts down three debt collection operations for such practices as sending texts that read "YOUR PAYMENT DECLINED WITH CARD ****-****-****-5463... CALL IMMEDIATELY..." without identifying themselves as debt collectors. They would also claim a "uniformed officer" was on the way to the consumer's home and they should "secure any large animals or firearms" before the officer arrived. "Legitimate debt collectors know the rules." [5/22/15]

In response to the top complaint received by consumers, the FTC has launched IdentityTheft.gov, a new, interactive resource that makes it easier for identity theft victims to report and recover from identity theft. [5/15/15]

The Federal Trade Commission announced the suspension of operations of a sham mortgage relief entity and is seeking to permanent closure. The entity operated under different names and included a principal that was previously barred from mortgage relief activities. [5/1/15]

The CFPB and the FTC have announced that they have levied a $15 million civil money penalty and ordered restitution to consumers in the amount of $48 million to be paid by Green Tree Servicing, LLC.  The agencies found that the servicer had illegally failed to honor loan modifications for loans from other servicers, demanded payment before offering loss mitigation options, delayed decisions on short sales, and harassed and threatened borrowers—in some cases calling borrowers as many as 20 times per day. [4/22/15]

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) and Federal Trade Commission (FTC) took action against Green Tree over mistreatment of borrowers. [4/22/15]

Two debt brokers have agreed to settle Federal Trade Commission charges that they exposed sensitive information of over 55,000 consumers to potential buyers. As part of the settlement, the firms must institute programs to protect the consumer information. [4/14/15]