Consumer lending

The Minnesota Department of Commerce is warning consumers about a debt collection scam where criminals are falsely using the name of a St. Paul, Minn.-based law firm to target victims.

Collection law firm Linebarger, Goggan, Blair and Sampson has prepared a report on its collection of tax delinquencies for a county in Texas.

A Massachusetts law firm allegedly used unfair and deceptive practices to collect debts from hundreds of thousands of residents in the state in recent years, according to Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey.

Participants in an alleged credit card laundering scheme agreed to settle FTC charges that they illegally helped provide access to payment networks, enabling scammers to place bogus charges on consumers’ credit cards.

Europe’s largest debt collector announced plans to make more acquisitions as it looks to build its presence in credit management services.

California Republic Bancorp in Irvine has securitized $380 million of its prime auto loans.

The Connecticut Department of Banking claims a Native American tribe in Oklahoma is running two illegal high-interest loan operations but the tribe has won a delay in its battle against the imposition of $800,000 in penalties.

California Republic Bancorp in Irvine has securitized $380 million of its prime auto loans.

A well-known advocate in the consumer debt relief industry is under investigation by federal authorities in Washington, D.C. and Montana for business ties to payday lenders.

Lawmakers are requiring the Department of Education to drop a formula that gives preference to four major federal student loan servicers and instead divvy up the accounts based on performance measures.

Separate actions involved a company and an individual that resold sensitive personal data to debt collectors and lenders, allegedly exposing millions of consumers to harassment and deceit.

Default rates on various types of consumer loans improved in November, according to Standard & Poor's and Experian.

A car dealer and its financing arm will pay a $6.4 million fine to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau for allegedly providing inaccurate information to credit reporting firms.

LifeLock Inc. agreed Thursday to pay $100 million to settle FTC charges that it failed to properly protect its customers’ data and misrepresented the strength of its security. It's the largest order enforcement case to date to come out of the FTC.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's payday loan proposal threatens many money services businesses on the front lines of stopping money-laundering and terrorist financing.

Litigation citing violations of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, Telephone Consumer Protection Act and Fair Credit Reporting Act dropped in November compared to October but remain significantly higher year-to-date.

EZCORP Inc. has responded to the $10.5 million settlement with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau related to its payday lending and installment lending practices.

Ally Financial, seeking new sources of customers, will finance used cars sold through Beepi, an 18- month-old website that lets people buy vehicles with a few clicks and no test drive.

Seventeen colleges will receive warning letters this week from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau stating they may be in violation of federal law for not disclosing agreements they have with credit card companies.

Credit risk, interest rate risk and cybersecurity concerns pose growing risks, according to a semiannual risk report issued Wednesday by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency.