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Spokeo Resources (for subscribers AND for non-subscribers)

May 27, 2016
Analyses and briefs to facilitate individual rights representation, addressing standing challenges based on the Supreme Court’s May 16, 2016, decision in Spokeo v. Robins: Statute-Specific Spokeo Analyses Telephone Consumer Protection Act Spokeo analysis: For subscribers to Federal Deception Law For non-subscribers Truth in Lending Act Spokeo analysis: For subscribers to Truth in Lending General...

Third Circuit: Collector Has Burden to Prove Exemption from FDCPA Liability

May 2, 2016
In Evankavitch v. Green Tree Servicing, L.L.C., 793 F.3d 355 (3d Cir. 2015), the Third Circuit holds that the mortgage servicer had the burden of persuasion with the jury that the servicer’s call to a third party was permitted by the § 1692b(3) exception. That exception allows follow-up calls to a third party for location information if “...the debt collector reasonably believes that the earlier...

The Federal Housing Finance Agency’s Principal Reduction Modification Program (Very Modest and Very Late)

April 21, 2016
On April 14, 2016 the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) announced what it described as its final loss mitigation initiative of the foreclosure crisis, a “Principal Reduction Modification Program.” The Program will apply to a limited number of loans owned or insured by Freddie Mac or Fannie Mae. Borrowers will not be able to apply for these modifications. Instead, during the latter half of 2016...

If Pending Supreme Court Consumer or Class Cases End in a 4-4 Tie

February 16, 2016
It is increasingly likely that cases currently awaiting decision before the Supreme Court will be decided by eight justices. Two of the cases argued last fall and now awaiting decision could have dramatic impacts on consumer law and class action practices, and this article describes the implications if those cases result in a 4 to 4 tie. Spokeo v. Robins Described Spokeo v. Robins is a Fair Credit...

Recent FDCPA Circuit Court of Appeals Decisions (Nov. 16, 2015 – Jan. 4, 2016)

January 22, 2016
This article summarizes six new reported FDCPA appellate decisions handed down mid-November, 2015 though early January, 2016. In addition, FDCPA practitioners should be aware of the following: The Supreme Court’s decision in Campbell-Ewald Co. v. Gomez, ___ U.S. ___, 2016 WL 228345 (Jan. 20, 2016), clarifying certain TCPA issues as discussed in this article and making it much more difficult for...

Supreme Court Applies TCPA to Text Messages, Affirms FCC’s Vicarious Liability Principles

January 20, 2016
On Tuesday, January 20, 2016, in Campbell-Ewald Co. v. Gomez, ___ U.S. ___, 2016 WL 228345 (Jan. 20, 2016), the Supreme Court held that an unaccepted Rule 68 offer did not moot a TCPA class action. (A separate article will discuss the Rule 68 holding.) The decision includes several important TCPA holdings as well. Chapter 6 of NCLC’s Federal Deception Law (2d ed. 2016, to be released in early...

The Qualified Principal Indebtedness Exclusion Revived and Extended for Two Years

December 22, 2015
**This exclusion has been extended to income forgiven in 2017. Read more here.** On December 18, 2015, President Barack Obama signed the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2016, Public Law 114-113 (129 Stat. 2242; 887 pages), which includes a two-year extension of the qualified principal residence indebtedness exclusion that had expired at the end of 2014. The qualified principal residence...

Supreme Court Rules Yet Again in Favor of Mandatory Arbitration—Why This Time the Impact Is Limited

December 16, 2015
On December 14, the Supreme Court issued its decision in DirecTV, Inc. v. Imburgia, reversing a California Court of Appeals decision from last year. The case involved a clause in DirecTV’s consumer arbitration agreement that expressly prohibited class actions in arbitration but also provided that, “[i]f . . . the laws of your state would find this agreement to dispense with class arbitration...

Effective October 3: Sweeping Changes to Mortgage Loan Disclosures

September 29, 2015
For closed-end mortgage loan applications received on or after October 3, 2015, a single TILA/RESPA integrated disclosure regime now applies. The former rules continue to apply to covered mortgage loans for which applications were received before October 3, 2015 and to new loans not covered by the new amendments. NCLC’s Truth in Lending (9th ed. 2015) (two volumes) and its online version describes...