junk fees

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On November 28, 2023, from 1:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. ET, Ballard Spahr attorneys will hold a webinar on the most recent actions of the White House, CFPB, and FTC in the Biden Administration’s assault on so-called “junk fees.”  To register, click here.

Last Wednesday, we published three blog posts about new actions taken by the CFPB and FTC related to the Biden Administration’s war on “junk fees”:

Also last Wednesday, the White House held an event at which President Biden spoke about these new developments as well as developments at other federal agencies to curb “junk fees” charged by companies subject to the jurisdiction of such agencies. … Continue Reading

As part of the White House’s latest round of efforts targeting so-called “junk fees,” the Federal Trade Commission has issued a proposed rule, “Rule on Unfair or Deceptive Fees.”  The proposal follows the FTC’s issuance in October 2022 of an Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to address “junk fees,” a term that was used in the ANPR Notice to refer to “unfair or deceptive fees that are charged for goods and services that have little or no added value to the consumer.” … Continue Reading

The CFPB has released a new issue of Supervisory Highlights that carries the title “Junk Fees Update Special Edition.”  The report discusses the CFPB’s examinations involving fees in the areas of deposits, auto servicing, and remittances  that were generally completed between February 2023 and August 2023.   The report updates the CFPB’s “Junk Fees Special Edition” of Supervisory Highlights issued in March 2023. … Continue Reading

As we have previously reported on this blog and discussed on our Consumer Finance Monitor Podcast, last year, the CFPB embarked on a campaign orchestrated by the Biden Administration to eliminate “junk fees.”  Today, the CFPB issued three new items in connection with those efforts.  First, the CFPB issued a new advisory opinion on fees charged by large banks and credit unions subject to CFPB supervision (i.e.,… Continue Reading

The Biden Administration has launched an initiative directed at combatting so-called “junk fees,” with the CFPB and FTC leading the Administration’s efforts.  In Part II of this two-part episode, we first look at CFPB supervisory activity relating to auto servicing, mortgage servicing, payday and small dollar loans, and student loan servicing. … Continue Reading

The Biden Administration has launched an initiative directed at combatting so-called “junk fees,” with the CFPB and FTC leading the Administration’s efforts.  In Part I of this two-part episode, we first discuss the various definitions offered by the White House, CFPB, and FTC for what constitutes a “junk fee” and the types of fees they have labeled “junk fees.” … Continue Reading

During his remarks in a meeting with private sector companies on June 15, 2023, President Biden described junk fees as “these hidden charges that companies sneak into your bill to make you pay more and without you really knowing it initially.”  President Biden was joined by representatives from Live Nation, SeatGeek, xBk, Airbnb, the Pablo Center at the Confluence, TickPick, DICE, and the Newport Festivals Foundation — companies that currently provide or have committed to providing all-in pricing in response to the President’s call to action on “junk fees” in his State of the Union.… Continue Reading

On April 17, the Consumer Bankers Association (CBA) issued a news release responding to the CFPB’s proposal to lower the credit card late fee safe harbor amount to $8.  The CFPB claims that, even though Congress banned excessive credit card late fees, credit card companies have exploited a regulatory loophole “to escape scrutiny for charging an otherwise illegal junk fee.” … Continue Reading

I am very tired of the Biden Administration’s, most notably the CFPB’s, inflammatory rhetoric about “junk fees.”  In its recent “Junk Fees Special Edition” of Supervisory Highlights, the CFPB defined “junk fees” as “unnecessary charges that inflate costs while adding little to no value to the consumer” and stated that “[t]hese unavoidable or surprise charges are often hidden or disclosed only at a later stage in the consumer’s purchasing process or sometimes not at all.”… Continue Reading

On November 3, 2022, the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) announced that it has entered into a consent order with internet phone service provider Vonage to settle allegations that it imposed “junk fees” on consumers and used “dark patterns” that prevented them from cancelling their service. Under the terms of the settlement, Vonage has agreed to pay $100 million in customer refunds, simplify its cancellation process, and enhance its disclosures.… Continue Reading