This article sets out consumer rights and tactics when past-due taxes are owed to the IRS, including how to reduce or pay your tax debt over time and a spouse’s legal obligation. Also covered are why you should file your tax return even if you cannot pay your taxes, steps the IRS takes to enforce a tax debt, and the impact of a bankruptcy filing.

Over six million consumers are in imminent danger of their car being repossessed. This article provides advice for consumers on preventing car repossessions, steps to take after a vehicle’s repossession, and responding to the creditor’s demand for additional payment after a repossession.

On May 24, the President signed legislation amending eight consumer statutes—everything from rights of tenants in foreclosed property to mortgage originations to private student loans to credit reporting. This article highlights the changes—both harmful and helpful for consumers.

Reverse mortgages are one way that families in financial distress can tap into the equity in their homes to meet their needs. This article provides advice for consumers on who should consider a reverse mortgage, how it works, foreclosure risks, impacts on spouses, partners, and heirs, and whether it is a good idea.

Since the Supreme Court’s Spokeo decision, expect an Article III standing challenge in almost every FDCPA case. This article provides ten tips to overcoming Spokeo challenges and links to an up-to-the minute digital analysis, including almost 100 new court decisions since the March 2018 release of the print edition of NCLC’s Fair Debt Collection.

The D.C. Circuit’s March decision in ACA International v. FCC is sure to be raised in any TCPA case involving unwanted calls and texts to cellphones. This article analyzes what the decision really means and also examines a number of other important 2018 circuit court TCPA rulings.

This article, explains a homeowner’s general rights to defend or delay a pending home foreclosure, how a chapter 13 bankruptcy can avoid foreclosure, the homeowner’s rights after the foreclosure sale, and additional rights to deal with nine special types of foreclosures.

Medical debt is pervasive in our society, even among those with insurance. This article provides advice for consumers on their best strategies and rights to deal with their medical debt. We encourage readers to share this article with clients, counselors, and others working with families in financial distress.

As explained in this article, effective April 19, CFPB mortgage servicing rules expand the rights of those inheriting homes, awarded a marital home in divorce, or otherwise succeeding in interest to a mortgage loan. The rules also offer an important new right for debtors in bankruptcy to determine if mortgage servicer fees and application of mortgage payments are proper.

As explained in this article, February legislation provides important tax relief to homeowners who faced foreclosure, short sales, or loan modifications in 2017. The Qualified Principal Residence Indebtedness exclusion that had expired after 2016 has been extended, allowing homeowners to continue excluding certain forgiven mortgage debt from taxable income.

Key to drafting a successful chapter 13 plan under the new Bankruptcy Rules is adding “nonstandard provisions” not found on the standardized forms. As set out in this article, NCLC now provides sample language for over thirty-five nonstandard provisions that attorneys can copy/paste into their plans.

2017 saw hundreds of new decisions and FCC actions interpreting the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA), which provides significant statutory damages for unwanted calls, texts, and faxes. This article outlines the areas where there has been the most significant case law and FCC activity in 2017. All links are to NCLC’s Federal Deception Law Chapter 6—a detailed analysis of all significant...

Too often those who are least able to afford it are taken advantage of at tax time. Now that 2017 tax returns can be filed, this article provides six important areas of advice for clients.

Breazeale v. Victim Servs., Inc., 2017 WL 6601779 (9th Cir. Dec. 27, 2017) is an important decision with potentially broad consequences for litigation involving the commercialization of the criminal justice system. The court held that the Federal Arbitration Act, 9 U.S.C. § 1, et seq., does not apply to agreements between individuals and private contractors acting on behalf of the government, at...

National Housing Law Project (NHLP) has partnered with the National Consumer Law Center (NCLC) to offer the 5th edition of HUD Housing Programs: Tenants’ Rights on NCLC’s digital library. NHLP has wanted to bring the Green Book online for years, but it took the expertise and generosity of NCLC. The new digital format will allow users to copy and paste text and citations, bookmark, highlight, and will provide live links to companion materials. The digital platform also makes the Green Book much more portable and available on cell phones and laptops. The digital format will allow NHLP to update the manual much more frequently, to fix inevitable errors and to provide to our readers even more extensive and accessible companion materials.

NCLC has just released the Ninth Edition of our popular Consumer Class Actions treatise, with recent major developments in class action law. This article sets out what subscribers and non-subscribers should know about the new edition.

This article examines new bankruptcy rule amendments, effective December 1, that significantly alter chapter 13 practice. The new rules affect the form of the chapter 13 plan, procedures for valuing and voiding liens, filing deadlines for creditor proofs of claim, objections to proofs of claims, and objections to plan confirmation.

Critical CFPB rules governing mortgage servicing are now in effect as of October 19. As described in this article, the rules provide essential protections for homeowners applying for loan modifications to avoid foreclosure or otherwise dealing with mortgage servicers.

On October 24 the Senate joined the House in repealing the CFPB Arbitration Rule that would have eliminated forced arbitration clauses containing class action bans in consumer financial contracts. This article lists twelve ways to still defeat a forced arbitration clause, even for class actions.

The CFPB issued its final “payday lending rule” on October 5, not effective until 2019. This free article describes the rule’s application to high-interest loans and sets out a list of other currently applicable challenges to such lending.