Author: Briane Pagel
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) is asking a court to order Portfolio Recovery Associates to pay $24,000,000 in penalties and damages. The CFPB’s announcement on March 23, 2023, said it had caught Portfolio “red-handed” in 2015 committing numerous violations of law, and that Portfolio had not changed its practices. The CFPB said Portfolio has […]
Wisconsin residents who get their cellphone service through T-Mobile are currently facing a high risk of identity theft. T-Mobile disclosed this week that 37 million of its customers had their private information compromised by a hacker or hackers who were accessing the data from November 25, 2022 through January 5, 2023. This is reported to […]
The battle between debtors and debt collectors has been raging for years. In recent times, law changes have given debtors a fighting chance. Even though these law changes haven’t shifted the odds to favor debtors, the balance of power has shifted enough that desperate debt collectors have resorted to committing offenses that violate consumer protection law. […]
If you have made a payment to a debt collector and been charged a service fee, convenience fee, or other charge imposed for making the payment, you might have a right to sue the debt collector. “Pay to Pay” is the name generally given to charges that are often imposed by debt collectors when taking […]
Attorney Briane Pagel recently won a jury trial in Rock County on behalf of one of LawtonCates’ clients. The Rock County jury found that the credit union’s phone calls to our client were harassing and illegal. What Happened to Our Client? Like many other Americans, our client fell behind on his car loan. He then made […]
Homeownership is part of the American Dream. Whether you like a peaceful rural setting or a bustling metropolis, you likely want a place to call your own. It’s a fine aspiration, but right now, home prices are skyrocketing. Even a worldwide pandemic hasn’t slowed the real estate market. In June 2020, the average price of […]
Recently, the Wisconsin Supreme Court issued an opinion holding that it is illegal for repo men to seize peoples’ cars from the parking garage in their apartment. The case, Duncan v. Asset Recovery Specialists (case number 2019 AP 1365, reported at 2022 WI 1), was brought by a woman whose car was illegally repossessed from […]
Attorney Briane Pagel answers frequently asked questions about debt and gives advice about the best way for debtors to handle their situations. Q: I have a lot of debt and it’s getting hard to handle. Everyone says I should call a bankruptcy lawyer. Is that a good idea? You should talk to a lawyer, but […]
Student loan payments for federal loans are suspended until September, 2020; the CARES Act, which suspended payments, also required that student loan companies treat the loans as though they were still being paid. Some loan servicers may not be complying with the law, and that could damage the borrower’s credit. Recently, Great Lakes Educational Loan […]
On Tuesday, April 12, Governor Walker signed legislation that got rid of earlier increases in mandatory auto insurance coverage. This bill, dubbed “Truth in Automobile Insurance,” which sounds dry compared to the controversy in Wisconsin over the past few months, could have huge impacts on drivers and families who are involved in car accidents. The […]