The Federal Trade Commission will host a roundtable next month to gather information on consumers’ experiences in the sale and financing of motor vehicles at dealerships.
The roundtable will cover topics regarding military consumers’ experiences in buying and financing motor vehicles, the role of financial literacy in consumers’ understanding of that process and fair lending issues. It will take place on August 2-3 in San Antonio.
This will be the FTC's second roundtable this year to discuss motor vehicle sales and financing issues focusing on military consumers. The first roundtable reviewed consumer protection issues involving dealership sales and financing of cars, SUVs, and light trucks, and was held in Detroit in April.
Buying or leasing a car is among the most expensive transactions that many consumers make. Financing obtained at a dealership may provide benefits for many consumers, such as convenience, special manufacturer-sponsored programs, access to a variety of banks and financial entities, or access to credit otherwise unavailable to a buyer. Dealer-arranged financing, however, can be a complicated, opaque process and potentially could involve unfair or deceptive practices.
The roundtable will be held at St. Mary’s University School of Law in San Antonio. The first day will cover the issues of military consumers and financial literacy; the second day will cover fair lending. The roundtable is free and open to the public.
Pre-registration is not required but is encouraged to help staff plan the event. The FTC will offer a live webcast of the event. Those who would like to be panelists at the roundtable may e-mail their name and affiliation to MotorVehicleRoundtables2@ftc.gov, on or before July 15.
Those who wish to submit comments on roundtable topics or on auto sales and finance issues more generally may file comments at https://ftcpublic.commentworks.com/ftc/motorvehicleroundtables2, following the instructions on the web-based form. The FTC will accept comments on roundtable topics or on auto sales and finance issues until the conclusion of all the roundtables.
