Consumer lending

Global Debt Registry has signed a deal with credit bureau giant TransUnion to battle faulty collection practices within the $3.3 trillion market for unsecured consumer debt.

WASHINGTON — Consumers may see little change in the ultimate cost of Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac loans despite a restructuring of certain loan fees announced Friday by the Federal Housing Finance Agency.

With the Education Department nearing a deal with Navient Corp. over allegations the company cheated active-duty troops on federal student loans, the end could be near for a much delayed and heavily criticized investigation.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau issued a final rule Wednesday aimed at improving the way that companies submit consumer credit card agreements to the Bureau.

U.S. foreclosure activity rose sharply in March on an increase in bank repossessions, but dropped in the first quarter to the lowest mark in eight years, according to a report by industry firm RealtyTrac.

The Federal Trade Commission on Wednesday, in testimony before Congress, detailed the agency’s education and outreach efforts against identity theft and Internal Revenue Service imposter scams.

Debt buyer Asta Funding agreed Wednesday to settle charges brought by New York regulators for allegedly pursuing improper debt collection tactics against hundreds of consumers in the state.

A medical debt relief bill in Minnesota would give consumers the right to go to court to stop a collection action on medical debt that violates federal IRS rules.

A lawsuit filed last month by four student loan debt collection companies against the U.S. Department of Education was dismissed Tuesday by a federal judge.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau filed a lawsuit Tuesday against the owner of several tax-preparation outlets that allegedly steered low-income clients into expensive loans against their anticipated refunds.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and the Navajo Nation announced Tuesday that they are taking action against companies and individuals who operated an illegal tax refund scheme.

Two debt brokers agreed to settle charges that they exposed highly sensitive information about tens of thousands of consumers while trying to sell portfolios of consumer debt on a public website.

Officials with Louisville Metro Corrections, in Louisville, Ky., are reviewing whether to hire a private debt collection agency to pursue booking fees owed to the jail. Two collection agencies submitted bids.

Federal and state of Illinois authorities moved to shut down a debt collection scam operation located in a western suburb of Chicago. The defendants are charged with illegally using threats and intimidation.

A federal court has temporarily halted Los Angeles-based Wealth Educators Inc. and its president from offering mortgage relief services after the Federal Trade Commission charged the operation with failing to provide the help promised to homeowners, while charging a large illegal upfront fee for services.

MultiCare Health Systems, a Tacoma, Wash.-based nonprofit, is the subject of a new report citing questionable billing practices and collection methods that leave some patients in endless cycles of debt.

Critics of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's proposals to rein in payday loans argue that onerous requirements could force many lenders to shut down, leaving cash-strapped Americans with few options for short-term credit. But the truth is payday loans often leave low-income borrowers in even worse straits.

Bank card and closed-end loan delinquencies rose in last year’s fourth quarter but were still near record lows, according to the American Bankers Association’s Consumer Credit Delinquency Bulletin.

Mortgage finance company Fannie Mae revealed details Wednesday of its first-ever large sale of non-performing mortgages, a move that could make it easier for some of the borrowers behind the loans to stay in their homes.

WASHINGTON — The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has filed a massive lawsuit against more than a dozen debt collectors, payment processors and related entities that the agency said failed to stop fraudulent collection tactics.