Published: March 2021

The FTC and CFPB must do more to prevent mass homelessness during the pandemic

Over 11 million families are at risk of losing housing. Protection from evictions and foreclosures is greatly needed due to the ongoing economic crisis accompanying the COVID-19 pandemic, including the loss of household income in the near and long term. Consumer Action joined advocates in urging the U.S. Federal Trade Commission and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to work together to prohibit unfair debt collections and ensure financial and regulatory agencies confirm industry standards regarding forbearance availability for homeowners. Without these additional protections, many will lose their homes and be forced to move at a time when COVID-19 levels are still extremely high and vaccination access for many is still months away. As a result, the financial impact of COVID would result in substantially greater risk of spreading illness.

Coalition members urge the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) to work together to use their authority, including under section 5 of the FTC Act, the Dodd-Frank Act, and the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, to prevent or limit imminent rental evictions and home foreclosures not subject to existing protections. Bold action will protect the health and welfare of families, promote equity, and prevent avoidable foreclosures and evictions.

Lead Organization

National Consumer Law Center (NCLC)

Other Organizations

National Consumer Law Center | National Low Income Housing Coalition | National Housing Law Project Organization | AARP | ACCESS (Arab Community Center for Economic and Social Services) | American Association Health and Disability | Americans for Financial Reform Education Fund | Association of Programs for Rural Independent Living (APRIL) | Barbara Poppe and Associates | Bend the Arc Jewish Action | BRIDGE Housing | Center for Community Progress | Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP) | Center for LGBTQ Economic Advancement & Research | Coalition on Human Needs | Community Solutions | Congregation of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd, U.S Provinces | Consortium for Citizens With | Disabilities (CCD) Housing Task Force | Consumer Action | Consumer Credit and Budget Counseling D/B/A National Foundation for Debt Management | Consumer Federation of America | Empowering Pacific Islander Communities (EPIC) | Faith in Action | Hispanic Health Network | HomeFree-USA | Invisible People | Kearney, McWilliams & Davis | Latino Commission on AIDS | League of Women Voters of the United States | Local Initiatives Support Corporation \ NAACP LEGAL DEFENSE AND EDUCATIONAL FUND, INC. (LDF) | National Advocacy Center of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd | National Affordable Housing Trust | National Alliance of HUD Tenants | National Alliance on Mental Illness | National Association for Latino Community Asset Builders | National Association of Consumer Advocates | National CAPACD | National Center for Law and Economic Justice | National Coalition for the Homeless | National Community Development Association | National Community Reinvestment Coalition | National Council of Churches | National Council of Jewish Women | National Domestic Violence Hotline | National Fair Housing Alliance | National Health Care for the Homeless Council | National Homelessness Law Center National Housing Resource Center | National NeighborWorks Association | National Network to End Domestic Violence | National Organization for Women | NeighborWorks Capital | NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice | New Hope | NewWest Community Capital | NOAAH Prime | Olympus Consulting Group,LLC | Operation Restoration | Oxfam America | Poverty & Race Research Action Council | Prosperity Now | Public Citizen | Public Good Law Center | Restaurant Opportunities Centers United | RESULTS | SchoolHouse Connection | Seasoned Partners | Siemer Institute | Southern Poverty Law Center | Start Early | Technical Assistance Collaborative | The Arc | The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights | Triage Cancer | U.S. PIRG Education Fund | Union for Reform Judaism | We Own It | ZERO TO THREE

More Information

For more information, please visit NCLC.

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The FTC and CFPB must do more to prevent mass homelessness during the pandemic   (Moratorium_letter_to_CFPBFTC_03.03.21_w-sign_ons_updated_.pdf)