Resources- Dangerous and Arbitrary Repossessions
Book: Repossessions. 6th edition (2005) & Supplement (2009). National Consumer Law Center.
Money Matters: Dealing with Vehicle Repossessions. Federal Trade Commission.
FTC Facts for Consumers- Vehicle Repossession - Understanding the Rules of the Road. Federal Trade Commission.
Repo Madness - How Automobile Repossessions Endanger Owners, Agents, and the Public. John W. Van Alst. National Consumer Law Center. NCLC Report. (March 2010).
Violence Between Repo Men, Car Owners Rising: Number of Vehicle Repossessions is Expected to Rise 5 Percent This Year. (External Link). Associate Press. (2009).
eBay Auctions of Repossessed Motor Vehicles - A Template for Commercial Reasonableness Under Revised Article 9.Richard H. Nowka.Originally published in 2007 SIU L.J. 281. (2007).
Video: Repo Man Tosses Woman Out of Car. Break.com.
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.
Learn More
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
“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.