When you’re activating a new credit card, watch for “the pitch.” When you call to activate a new credit card, you may be routed to representatives who try to sell you things like “credit protection” or “identity monitoring” to add to your account. These services, or “add-on products,” are additional, optional services that will cost [...]
Author archive: Gail Hillebrand
Testimony of Gail Hillebrand before the House Subcommittee on Financial Institutions and Consumer Credit
Testimony of Gail Hillebrand Associate Director, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Before the House Subcommittee on Financial Institutions and Consumer Credit Submission for the Record June 6, 2012 Chairman Capito, Ranking Member Maloney, and Members of the Subcommittee, thank you for this opportunity to testify before the Subcommittee and for the leadership you have shown on [...]
Educating and empowering American consumers
There are certain occasions in everyone’s life when one decision can have long-lasting effects. How will you pay for college? Which mortgage should you choose? Where will you turn when you need credit? When will you start saving for retirement? How you answer these questions and others like them can profoundly impact your financial future. [...]
Our second National Consumer Protection Week
This week is National Consumer Protection Week. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and other federal agencies participate in this week to help consumers safely navigate the markets for consumer products and services. This means also providing consumers with tools and resources to help them make better-informed decisions when confronted with an often-dizzying array of options. [...]
What’s your status when it comes to overdraft coverage?
As we begin our inquiry into overdraft practices, we’ve issued a consumer advisory on overdraft coverage and fees. Institutions can’t charge you for overdrafts on ATM or point-of-sale debit card transactions unless you have opted in. Knowing your status can help you decide what’s best for you.
Gail Hillebrand, our Associate Director for Consumer Education and Engagement, suggests four simple ways you can reduce or eliminate overdraft fees.
We’re listening
As we work to ensure a consumer bureau that’s responsive to today’s most pressing problems, we’ve made it a priority to keep one foot firmly planted outside the Beltway. We know that those of us here in Washington will never understand what’s going on in your community better than you do. That’s why we continue [...]