Category: Consumer Rights
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The consumer bureau says it will investigate nine of the largest banks over debanking
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau says it will investigate the nation’s nine largest national banks over debanking, the practice of denying or restricting customers’ access to banking. The announcement came Oct. 14 and builds on a report from the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency. It is an announced investigation, not an order, a…
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Social Security must give each victim of number misuse one specially trained team accountable until the case closes, under a law signed October 7 that starts in 180 days
A new federal law gives people whose Social Security number has been misused a single point of contact at the agency, and that contact stays on the case until it is resolved. The White House says the President signed the bill into law on Wednesday, October 7, 2026, and the change does not start right…
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The FTC told 24 of the largest health care companies on October 5 that hiding the price of a service may be deceptive under federal law
On October 5, 2026, the Federal Trade Commission sent letters to 24 of the nation’s largest healthcare services companies. The letters say failing to disclose the price of a healthcare service may be deceptive under federal law. They are warnings, not fines or lawsuits. The FTC’s announcement says the letters remind the companies of their…
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The FTC asked on September 24 whether online platforms should have to stop impersonation ads before anyone sees them, citing more than a million imposter-scam reports
The Federal Trade Commission asked the public on September 24, 2026 whether online platforms should be required to stop impersonation ads before they ever reach consumers. The agency pointed to more than 1 million imposter-scam reports it received in 2025. It is a question, not a rule, and no new requirement for platforms exists yet.…
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USPS bills senders for unpaid foreign duties on goods mailed abroad from October 19
The Postal Service will start billing people who mail goods abroad if the foreign duties and taxes on those packages go unpaid. The change takes effect Monday, October 19, 2026. For anyone sending gifts overseas, a package can now come with a bill after it leaves the post office, charged on top of the postage.…
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Debt collectors generally cannot call before 8 a.m. or after 9 p.m. local time
Debt collectors are generally barred from calling before 8 a.m. or after 9 p.m., and the clock that counts is the one where the person being called lives. Collectors are also presumed to break the law if they call about the same debt more than seven times in seven days, or within seven days after…
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Credit card billing-error disputes must reach the card issuer within 60 days after the first statement showing the error was sent, federal rules say
A wrong charge on a credit card bill comes with a short clock. Under the federal rule that governs card disputes, the card issuer has to receive a written billing-error notice within 60 days after it sent the first statement showing the error. The rule is Regulation Z, section 1026.13, enforced by the Consumer Financial…
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The FTC’s Funeral Rule lets families buy only the funeral goods and services they want and requires an itemized price list
Families arranging a funeral do not have to accept a bundled package. Under the Federal Trade Commission’s Funeral Rule, they can buy only the goods and services they want, and every funeral home has to hand over an itemized price list. The same rule says a casket bought somewhere else cannot be refused or charged…
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The FTC alleges ticket broker REPS & Company dodged purchase limits to spend more than $1.3 billion on event tickets and made at least $120.8 million in profit reselling them
The Federal Trade Commission alleges that ticket broker REPS & Company illegally dodged limits on how many tickets one buyer can purchase, spending more than $1.3 billion on tickets and making at least $120.8 million in profit by reselling them. The Justice Department filed the complaint on the FTC’s behalf on Oct. 15, 2026. The…
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California gave buyers of dealer-sold used cars priced up to $50,000 a three-day right to cancel, in force since October 1
Since October 1, a California buyer who signs for a used car at a dealership can change course for three calendar days. The right comes from the state’s Combating Auto Retail Scams Act, known as the CARS Act, which became operative on that date. It has limits on price, mileage and the type of seller,…