Resources- Car Ownership Programs

Deals on Wheels: Expanding Automotive Opportunity in New England.Susan Brenna. The Annie E. Casey Foundation. ADVOCASEY. (2005)

Shifting into Gear: A Comprehensive Guide to Creating an Ownership Program, Wong,Sam; Ma,Tam; Hayden,Carol; Annie E. Casey Foundation; National Economic Development Law Center (2003)

Driving Out of Poverty in Private Automobiles.Lisa Brabo, Peter Kilde, Patrick Pesek-Herriges, Thomas Quinn,  & Inger Sanderud-Nordquist. West Central Wisconsin Community Action Agency, Inc. (2002)

JumpStart Survey Results. West Central Wisconsin Community Action Agency, Inc. (2001).

Participating Organizations

 

LA Times series on "Buy Here Pay Here" used car dealers


Treated Unfairly by a Car Dealer? Tell the FTC.

Did you get a fair deal when you bought, leased, or financed your car? If not, the United States Federal Trade Commission (FTC) wants to hear from you.
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Update Auto Warranty Act

Group comments to the Federal Trade Commission on the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act Review on auto warranties a and defects

Credit Risk Retention

Comments by National Consumer Law Center and National Association of Consumer Advocates.

Military and CFPB Unveil Joint Statement of Principles 

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“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.
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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.