Identity theft is a distressing experience. Having your identity stolen is an attack on your financial security and creates anxiety over your financial future. When someone steals your identity, they can accrue debt in your name, leaving you to have to prove your...

Dynamic Guidance And Advocacy Throughout Northern Virginia
Consumer Protection
Building good credit provides financial flexibility and stability
Most individuals and families use credit as a regular financial tool to manage expenses and facilitate major purchases. “Credit” broadly is a transaction between a lender or creditor and a consumer-borrower where the lender allows the consumer to make a purchase or...
Dishonest VA vehicle inspector wrongly certify your car was safe?
The commonwealth of Virginia has one of only about 15 mandatory state passenger-vehicle inspection programs in the country. While sometimes compliance seems like a hassle for a vehicle owner, a 2020 national study found that when a state requires safety inspections...
Did your credit take a hit from credit-report errors? Fight back.
Most consumers expect to use credit for major purchases and needs. Common types of consumer credit include home mortgages, student loans, vehicle loans, home improvement loans, lines of credit and credit cards. People are careful to build good credit ratings through...
Mismerged credit reports can lead to unjust consumer credit denials
Many Virginians faced serious economic losses during the COVID-19 pandemic, followed by another financial challenge from household budget-busting inflation. For some whose credit scores also took a hit, it may have taken months of careful money management to rebuild...
Homegrown Virginia debt collector settles charges of unlawful acts
In 1996, two bankers started giant debt-collection business Portfolio Recovery Associates, LLC (PRA), with its headquarters in Norfolk, Virginia, and other commonwealth offices in Danville and Hampton as well as in other states. In about 25 years, PRA has become one...
FDCPA bans debt collectors from trying to collect stale debts
On April 26, 2023, the federal Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) reinforced its official stance that debt collectors may not attempt to collect stale consumer debts. The agency did so in a new Advisory Opinion about this prohibition of the Fair Debt...
Identity theft ruin your good credit? Fight to correct your score.
Did someone steal your identity and use it to spend your money, use your good credit to open fraudulent accounts or take out loans in your name? The ways an identity thief can exploit your personal identifying information are endless. You may be surprised at the...
Permissible purposes for release or use of consumer reports
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) is a relatively new federal agency primarily responsible for protecting consumer use of financial products and services through enforcement of federal consumer financial laws. This responsibility includes oversight of...
Travel scams: Buyer beware
After two years of lockdowns and various restrictions, consumers want to regain a sense of normalcy and naturally “consume.” For many, that means taking a long-awaited vacation. While travel companies are at the ready to map out the dream getaway, consumers should be...