Consumer Protection 2000 is a compilation of papers received at the Summer 1992 conference sponsored by the McGeorge School of Law at Salzburg, Austria. These papers provide a most helpful & instructive kaleidoscope of diverging scenarios from many, if not most, of the Western post-industrial countries. The reports provide a rational basis for assessing aspects of the best ingredients for a 'civilized society'.

Consumer Credit and the American Economy examines the economics, behavioral science, sociology, history, institutions, law, and regulation of consumer credit in the United States. After discussing the origins and various kinds of consumer credit available in today's marketplace, this book reviews at some length the long run growth of consumer credit to explore the widely held belief that somehow consumer credit has risen "too fast for too long." It then turns to demand and supply with chapters discussing neoclassical theories of demand, new behavioral economics, and evidence on production costs and why consumer credit might seem expensive compared to some other kinds of credit like government finance. This discussion includes review of the economics of risk management and funding sources, as well discussion of the economic theory of why some people might be limited in their credit search, the phenomenon of credit rationing. This examination includes review of issues of risk management through mathematical methods of borrower screening known as credit scoring and financial market sources of funding for offerings of consumer credit. The book then discusses technological change in credit granting. It examines how modern automated information systems called credit reporting agencies, or more popularly "credit bureaus," reduce the costs of information acquisition and permit greater credit availability at less cost. This discussion is followed by examination of the logical offspring of technology, the ubiquitous credit card that permits consumers access to both payments and credit services worldwide virtually instantly. After a chapter on institutions that have arisen to supply credit to individuals for whom mainstream credit is often unavailable, including "payday loans" and other small dollar sources of loans, discussion turns to legal structure and the regulation of consumer credit. There are separate chapters on the theories behind the two main thrusts of federal regulation to this point, fairness for all and financial disclosure. Following these chapters, there is another on state regulation that has long focused on marketplace access and pricing. Before a final concluding chapter, another chapter focuses on two noncredit marketplace products that are closely related to credit. The first of them, debt protection including credit insurance and other forms of credit protection, is economically a complement. The second product, consumer leasing, is a substitute for credit use in many situations, especially involving acquisition of automobiles. This chapter is followed by a full review of consumer bankruptcy, what happens in the worst of cases when consumers find themselves unable to repay their loans. Because of the importance of consumer credit in consumers' financial affairs, the intended audience includes anyone interested in these issues, not only specialists who spend much of their time focused on them. For this reason, the authors have carefully avoided academic jargon and the mathematics that is the modern language of economics. It also examines the psychological, sociological, historical, and especially legal traditions that go into fully understanding what has led to the demand for consumer credit and to what the markets and institutions that provide these products have become today.

This book examines the legal framework and compliance in the EC of consumer credit reporting and credit information sharing arrangements. It also looks at the issue of human rights, and the extent to which the right to privacy of consumers should be balanced against the aims of consumer credit reporting.

Consumer Finance: Markets and Regulation is the first law school text to focus on consumer financial services markets and their regulation. Structured around clear expository text and realistic problem sets, the book provides comprehensive coverage of the regulation of consumer credit, payments, and financial data markets by federal, state, and private law, including detailed coverage of the authority of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), a powerful new federal regulatory agency. The book also acquaints students with the full range of consumer financial products, how they operate, the risks and policy issues they raise, and their regulation. In so doing, the book provides an applied look at how regulatory agencies work, offering students a practical look at how statutes and regulations interact and how regulatory agencies enforce them. Professors and students will benefit from: Detailed coverage of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), a new federal regulatory agency with broad authority over consumer credit, payment, deposit, and financial data markets Comprehensive treatment of consumer credit regulation, including mortgages, credit cards, auto loans, student loans, and small dollar loans, as well as credit disclosures, usury, and fair lending regulation State-of-the-art coverage of consumer payment systems, with detailed coverage of electronic payment systems (credit cards, debit cards, ACH) and mobile wallets Coverage of topics not found elsewhere in law school curriculum, including anti-money laundering regulations, behavioral economics, fair lending laws, and consumer financial data privacy and data security Free online statutory supplement

This volume brings together historians, economists, political scientists, and anthropologists to present a global perspective on the new forms of lending and borrowing that have become a key feature of twentieth-century mass consumer societies, emphasizing comparative and transnational historical perspectives.

This handbook surveys the social aspects of consumer behavior, offering latest data and original research on current consumer needs as well as identifying emerging areas of research. This accessible volume (which can be read without advanced training in the field) starts with current concepts of risk tolerance, consumer socialization, and financial well-being, and moves on to salient data on specific settings and populations such as high school students and the older consumer.