Consumer Law & Policy Blog

BP's Warning to Its Customers

What you'll see at BP gas stations:

FTC Settlement with Countrywide

The FTC has announced a $108 million settlement with Countrywide (i.e. Bank of America) in connection with its mortgage servicing practices.  The settlement and complaint are available at the FTC web site.

NHTSA Recalls for May 2010

Go here for the May 2010 vehicle and other recalls from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Broke USA author on NPR's "Fresh Air"

Gary Rivlin, a former New York Times journalist, appeared on NPR's Fresh Air today. Rivlin is the author of Broke USA, a new book on fringe finance. The interview is here.

Should We Tax Coke and Pepsi to Recover Their Externalities?

Perhaps

Elizabeth Warren on the Fight to Save the Consumer Financial Protection Agency

At politico.com 

Trademark silliness continues in South Africa

by Paul Alan Levy

FIFA, the world soccer federation, is back at it, trying to enforce the right to forbid any mention of the World Cup on merchandise.  But the silliness has apparently reached new heights as this video portrays the South African police out there conducting a publicity campaign against the sale of "fake flags."

CPSC Recalls for May 2010

Go here for the May 2010 product safety recalls from the Consumer Product Safety Commission.

One Woman's Story of Student Loan Debt

Last Friday, the New York Times reported on the $100,000 in student loan debt incurred by Cortney Munna to attend New York University. The story raises the question whether schools like NYU and lenders (like Citibank, which lent Ms. Munna some of her tuition money) should be criticized for the same reason that subprime mortgage lenders have been criticized: for not giving a darn about whether the borrower can pay back the loan. (And, remember, in the student loan context, it is nearly impossible to wipe out the debt in bankruptcy.)  Today, the Times prints Ms. Munna's response to the 600 or so reader comments on the article. These two comments caught my eye:

Don't worry, hun. You'll pay it off eventually. While you are young a second job or income generating hobby would be a good thing to do. Also, if you are sexually active, invest in good birth control, as having children in the next 5-10 years will seriously impede your ability to pay your debt off, which you must do.

*    *    *

It would be one thing to borrow $100K to go to an ivy league school, or even to go to NYU to get a degree in something marketable. But to borrow $100,000 K to go to NYU to get a degree in women's studies -- a field in which jobs are going to be scarce and low-paying in good time -- I'm sorry, but that is simple stupidity.

Consumer Protection Course Coverage Survey

by Jeff Sovern

Two years ago, I surveyed attendees at Richard Alderman's University of Houston Teaching Consumer Law Conference about their course coverage; the results are here.  I wanted to find out if the answers have changed, and also ask some new questions about what professors would like to cover in the future, and so I surveyed the attendees at this year's edition of the conference. If you did not attend and would like to complete the survey, it appears after the jump.  This is an opportunity to have an impact on the content of consumer law casebooks, so I hope readers of this blog who teach consumer law and have not already filled it out will do so. You can email me your form at sovernjatstjohnsdotedu, or snail mail it to me at St. John's University School of Law, 8000 Utopia Parkway, Jamaica, NY 11439. Thanks!