Table of Contents

52 advocacy groups endorse FTC’s ban on junk fees
Consumer Action was part of a broad coalition of advocacy organizations that voiced support for the FTC’s proposed rulemaking on junk fees, which would ban hidden and misleading fees across the economy.

Groups tell FTC that Americans want the right to repair their stuff
Consumer Action was one of the organizations to sign a letter to the FTC urging the agency to take steps to remove manufacturer restrictions that make it harder and more expensive for consumers to repair their phones, laptops and tablets.

DOL’s proposed rule would expand fiduciary requirement for those providing investment advice
Dozens of organizations signed on to a letter to the Department of Labor expressing support for the agency’s proposed rule that would provide comprehensive protections for consumers who turn to professional advisors for retirement investment advice.

Consumer Action supports bill to ban hedge fund ownership of residential housing
Consumer Action is a supporter of the End Hedge Fund Control of American Homes Act of 2023, which would address an urgent issue that has made it more difficult for middle-class Americans to become homeowners and is contribution to America’s twin crises of housing unaffordability and wealth inequality.

CFPB should disregard request to delay planned Fair Credit Reporting Act rulemaking
Sixty groups wrote to CFPB Director Chopra urging him to disregard a request by industry trade organizations to delay the agency’s planned Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) rulemaking by issuing an Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking—a unnecessary delay that would allow industry abuses to continue in the interim.

Opposition to Earned Wage Access Consumer Protection Act
More than a hundred advocacy groups wrote to U.S. Representative Bryan Steil, author of the draft Earned Wage Access Consumer Protection Act, to voice their opposition to the bill because its true effect would be to exempt FinTech companies and payday lenders from regulations designed to protect consumers.

Call for a CFPB rulemaking on forced arbitration
More than a hundred organizations signed on to a letter to CFPB Director Rohit Chopra supporting a recently submitted petition for rulemaking to require meaningful consumer consent to arbitration.

Another call for agencies to protect disaster victims from negative credit reporting
Groups again urged government agencies to help protect the credit reports and scores of consumers impacted by natural disasters, who may unavoidably miss bill payments in the aftermath of the devastation.

Opposition to amendments that would strip agencies’ powers to protect consumers
In a letter to Senators Murray and Collins, allies strongly opposed any amendments to the Fiscal Year 2024 Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act that include provisions that would thwart necessary rulemaking to protect consumers.

Credit Card Competition Act would break up Visa-Mastercard duopoly
Advocates urged members of Congress to swiftly pass the Credit Card Competition Act in an effort to address the Visa-Mastercard duopoly in the U.S., which has resulted in the highest credit card swipe fees in the industrialized world.