News Archive

FTC Meeting on Auto Dealer Abuses: Nov. 17

The United States Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is set to launch its third round of discussions on auto financing abuses and consumer protections in the industry on November 17 in Washington, D.C. Consumers can submit comments to the FTC at this link. To register for the roundtable, please click here. Transcripts of previous roundtables are also accessible at the registration page. more

Problems with a Car Dealer? The FTC is Listening.

Have you experienced problems when buying, financing or leasing a car through an auto dealer? The United States Federal Trade Commission (FTC) wants to hear from you. more

NCLC launches new Working Cars for Working Families website

The National Consumer Law Center has launched a new website to serve the community of organizations fighting to ensure that working families can get and keep a safe and reliable car at fair terms. more.

“Working Cars for Working Families: Real Progress, Real Opportunities” Conference

On October 29, 2010, advocates, academics, government regulators, practitioners, and others came together at the offices of the Federal Reserve Board to examine the vital importance of a car to family economic success, the hurdles to car ownership that families face, what efforts are currently being made to overcome these obstacles, and what more can be done to facilitate successful car ownership by families.  more

Modernizing the Massachusetts Exemption Laws

Massachusetts has amended its exemptions laws to better protect the family car and other necessities.  This law sets out what property debtors are able to protect from unsecured judgment creditors.  From the article in the Boston Globe:

The new law updates decades-old property exemptions, allowing consumers to keep a car worth up to $7,500 out of reach of collectors, up from $700 in the past. Owners who are 60 or older or disabled will get a $15,000 car exemption. Consumers also may hold on to $2,500 in a bank account, five times the current level.
“This new law will protect thousands of struggling Massachusetts residents, and allow them to house, feed, and support their families and continue to work as they struggle to pay debts and get back on their feet after an economic setback,’’ said Robert J. Hobbs, deputy director of the National Consumer Law Center.

The entire globe article may be found here.

For more information about the importance of exemptions for cars see this webinar we did last year on exemptions and asset limits.