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On November 17, the FTC announced a final court order permanently banning a small-business financing company and its chief executive from offering business financing, debt relief, and credit repair services and imposing a $48,280,328 monetary judgment to resolve allegations of unfair or deceptive acts or practices under the Federal Trade Commission Act, and violations of the Telemarketing Sales Rule and the Consumer Review Fairness Act. The order follows a summary-judgment ruling entered on September 16. The FTC filed a complaint against the company in November 2024.Continue Reading FTC Permanently Bans Small-Business Financing Firm and CEO for Alleged UDAP and Telemarketing Violations

On September 30, the FTC and the DOJ announced a settlement resolving allegations that a Massachusetts-based disability-advocacy company and its subsidiary violated the Telemarketing Sales Rule and FTC Act. The FTC alleged that the companies unlawfully contacted consumers through robocalls and calls to numbers on the National Do Not Call Registry to market Social Security Disability Insurance benefits.Continue Reading FTC and DOJ Settle with Disability-Advocacy Company for Alleged Illegal Telemarketing Practices

On September 11, the Federal Trade Commission announced final orders permanently banning two individual defendants from the debt relief industry and imposing asset surrender provisions to resolve allegations of a fraudulent student loan forgiveness scheme. The FTC alleged violations of the Federal Trade Commission Act, the Telemarketing Sales Rule, the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act, and the FTC’s new Impersonation Rule.Continue Reading FTC Bans Student Loan Debt Relief Operators for Alleged Deceptive Practices

On July 14, the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona granted the Federal Trade Commission’s request for a temporary restraining order against multiple defendants operating a nationwide debt relief scheme. The defendants are alleged to have violated the FTC Act, the Telemarketing Sales Rule (TSR), the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (GLBA), and the FTC’s Impersonation Rule. The court’s order imposed an asset freeze, appointed a temporary receiver, and suspended the defendants’ business operations.Continue Reading FTC Halts Alleged $100M Debt Relief Scam Under Impersonation Rule

On July 8, 2025, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit vacated the FTC’s “click-to-cancel” Negative Option Rule, holding that the FTC violated the FTC Act and the Administrative Procedure Act when it finalized the rule (previously discussed here). The court found that the FTC wrongly determined that the economic effect of the proposed rule would be under $100 million, and accordingly declined to conduct a preliminary regulatory analysis that would have identified alternative approaches. The failure to do this analysis deprived businesses the opportunity for participation in the rulemaking process. Because that procedural error affected the rule as a whole—including the requirement that cancellation mechanisms be as simple as enrollment—the court vacated the rule in its entirety. Although the rule included a severability clause, the court found that partial enforcement was not feasible given the scope of the defect and the prejudice to petitioners.Continue Reading Eighth Circuit Vacates FTC’s “Click-to-Cancel” Negative Option Rule

On April 30, the FTC filed a stipulated order for a permanent injunctive relief and a monetary judgment against a Georgia-based debt collection company and its owner, which the court granted on May 9, to resolve allegations that the company used false claims, threats, and harassment to collect more than $7.6 million in bogus debts.Continue Reading FTC Permanently Bans Debt Collector for UDAP and FDCPA Violations

On April 30, 2025, the FTC filed an amended complaint and final order in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia against a debt collection company in connection with allegations that the company engaged in deception and coercion to pressure consumers into paying debts they did not owe, in violation of the FTC Act, the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA), Regulation F, the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (GLBA), and the FTC’s Impersonation Rule.Continue Reading FTC Imposed $9.6 Million Judgement Against Debt Collector for Alleged Threats and Phantom Debt

On March 27, the FTC announced that a fintech company offering cash advances through a mobile app has agreed to pay $17 million to resolve allegations that it violated the FTC Act and the Restore Online Shoppers’ Confidence Act (ROSCA). The FTC alleged that the company misrepresented the availability and cost of its services and failed to obtain consumers’ express informed consent before charging recurring subscription fees.Continue Reading FTC Orders Fintech Company to Pay $17 Million for Allegedly Deceptive Subscription Practices

On February 19, 2025, President Donald Trump signed an executive order (the “Order”) mandating that independent agencies, including the SEC, the FCC, and the FTC, submit proposed regulations for presidential review before finalization. The order marks a significant shift in the regulatory process, altering the long-standing autonomy of these agencies by subjecting them to executive oversight.Continue Reading Trump Executive Order Requires Independent Agencies to Submit Regulations for Presidential Review