National Consumer Law Center

September 2, 2026 — Featured News Appearing in CBS News on September 2, 2026, Megan Cerullo talks to Ariel Nelson, senior attorney at NCLC, about how financial firms are pushing buy now, pay later loans as a means for people to cover essential expenses, such as rent, groceries, electricity bills, and even medical costs.

September 10, 2026 — Press Release States Must Create Energy Affordability Programs; Make Data Centers Cover Added Costs WASHINGTON – With utility costs rising and more households than ever facing disconnection, states can act to protect their residents from the full impact of spiraling national energy prices. Energy affordability programs are essential for reducing the impact on utility customers of rising prices and keeping utility company profits in check.

September 10, 2026 — Issue Brief Georgia ranks in the top 10 most expensive states for summer cooling, with summer utility bills averaging $225, the sixth highest in the country. Extreme weather, particularly the increasing frequency, duration, and intensity of extreme heat waves, will continue to worsen this unaffordability. Moreover, Georgia’s Black households disproportionately bear the burden of unaffordable utility bills.

September 1, 2026 — Press Release New Report Shows How ‘Heirship Affidavits’ Can Protect Family Property and Generational Wealth WASHINGTON – Many Black families in the South, and low-income families across the country, face significant barriers to retain ownership of “heirs property”— property that passes from one generation to the next without a completed probate proceeding.

August 27, 2026 — Featured News Appearing in The Seattle Times on August 27, 2026, Jessica Fu talks to Ariel Nelson, senior attorney at NCLC about how tenants across Washington state say that they face an increasingly confounding landscape of rental charges: amenity fees to access common areas, mailroom fees to receive packages, technology fees for app-enabled door locks and even building-wide utility fees to keep the lights on in the hallways and leasing offices.

August 19, 2026 — Featured News Appearing in The New York Times on August 19, 2026, Tara Siegel Bernard talks to Abby Shafroth, director of the National Consumer Law Center’s Student Loan Borrower Assistance Project, about how Congress worsened terms for some existing borrowers. Now they’ll have to pay more, and for a longer term.

August 24, 2026 — Article Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) litigation—with statutory damages of $500 per violation ($1,500 if willful or knowing) per illegal call—remains one of the hottest areas of consumer law today. This article advises practitioners how best to pursue such litigation in today’s environment of constantly shifting TCPA law.

August 27, 2026 — Article State unfair and deceptive practices (UDAP) statutes offer a promising source of claims to challenge abusive “zombie” mortgages. Many junior mortgages were originated in the years leading up to the 2007 subprime foreclosure crisis. When borrowers defaulted on these second mortgages during the crisis, loan holders stopped collecting because the homes were underwater, meaning there would be nothing for a junior mortgagee to recover after a foreclosure.

August 21, 2026 — Press Release CFPB Reform Act Would Enshrine Deregulation into Law and Leave People Vulnerable to Wall Street Greed WASHINGTON – Today, dozens of consumer, community, and civil rights organizations sent a letter to the House Financial Services Committee urging them to reject the CFPB Reform Act of 2026, a new proposal that, if passed, would severely limit the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s (CFPB) ability to hold big banks and tech companies accountable and to protect...

August 19, 2026 Lack of Affordability Analysis or Guarantee of Energy Savings Put California Families at Risk of Utility Shutoff SAN FRANCISCO – A new issue brief examines loans made to utility customers, often through third parties, to pay for home energy-related improvements or equipment and highlights sizable up-front costs, loans without standardized disclosures, and misleading claims about energy savings and monthly costs.