Opinions

West Virginia Attorney General Darrell McGraw announced that his office filed charges against four collection agencies in two lawsuits aimed at companies in Washington and New York for allegedly violating state consumer protection laws.

Small-business credit card issuers may continue skirting provisions of the Credit Card Accountability, Responsibility and Disclosure Act that went into effect earlier this year if regulators take the conclusions of a new Federal Reserve report to heart.

As lawmakers begin hashing out differences between the House and Senate regulatory reform bills next week, a big question is how hard proponents will fight for a stand-alone consumer protection agency.

Fair Debt Collection Practices Act lawsuits will spike this year to an estimated 11,750 cases – up from the record 8,287 cases in 2009, according to a forecast by one research firm.

In lobbying to defeat an amendment to the bank bill that would roll back interchange fees on debit cards credit unions are finding themselves in an increasingly familiar position – opposing the consumer lobby groups.

Nebraska state officials are warning lawmakers that the debit-interchange amendment in the Senate financial-reform bill could have grave implications for states using prepaid debit cards to disburse government benefits.

The Central Bank of Oman has decided to cap interest rates on credit cards banks in the sultanate issue. The policy takes effect June 1 and applies to existing and new card accounts.

The Independent Community Bankers of America and the Credit Union National Association have once again joined forces to oppose Sen. Richard Durbin's interchange amendment in the Senate regulatory reform bill, arguing the provision should not be part of the final legislation.

A federal judge has put a stop to three companies’ allegedly deceptive telemarketing calls, including robocalls, that promised to reduce consumers’ credit card interest rates.

The Better Business Bureau serving Central California is warning businesses to avoid collection agency Maxwell, Turner & Associates Inc. The Fresno, Calif. agency has an F-rating for 32 unanswered complaints within the last 10 months.