Consumer lending

A N.Y. car dealership charged with the unlawful sale of credit repair and identity theft prevention services agreed Thursday to settle allegations brought by state regulators.

The auto lender, a unit of the Spanish banking giant Banco Santander, repeatedly reassured investors that it has a handle on the subprime business.

Embattled online lender CashCall has paid nearly $2 million in restitution and fines for allegedly deceiving and overcharging borrowers, California's Department of Business Oversight announced.

Overall U.S. auto debt surged to $1.05 trillion in the third quarter, and the rise in subprime auto loan originations has heightened the New York Fed's concerns about that market.

Western Union will pay $8.5 million to settle allegations that it violated the Telephone Consumer Protection Act by sending unsolicited text messages asking consumers to opt in to receive regular updates from the company.

A Federal Trade Commission leader opened the agency's third debt collection dialogue event in Atlanta on Wednesday by highlighting the agency’s aggressive approach to collection enforcement.

Experian released findings Thursday from its sixth annual State of Credit study, showing that the national credit score increased by three points over the last year and by five points since 2013.

The telemarketing industry will not be allowed to use remotely created checks and other forms of payments under rules adopted by the Federal Trade Commission. The measures, designed to reduce fraud against consumers, drew opposition from the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta and the banking industry.

Online payday lender Integrity Advance is being sued by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau for allegedly deceiving consumers about its loan costs.

The Federal Trade Commission has approved final amendments to its Telemarketing Sales Rule, including a change aimed at protecting consumers from fraud by prohibiting four discrete types of payment methods favored by con artists and scammers.