The U.S. Department of the Treasury & IRS announced their plan to propose regulations to change the Form 990 to collect more information from nonprofits about government grants and contracts, and fiscal sponsorship arrangements.

❗🏦 Bank of America is reinserting a forced arbitration clause that is tucked away in the bank's updated online banking service agreement. If you contact the bank now, you can preserve your right to OPT OUT of this change @ www.bankofamerica.com/arbitration-... or by phone @ 800-283-8875.

The Energy Efficient Home Improvement Credit provided homeowners with tax credits of up to $2,000 for heat pumps or water heaters and up to $1,200 for upgrades to insulation, doors, or windows. The credit was eliminated through the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” signed by President Trump.

The federal EV tax credit, established under the Inflation Reduction Act, provided consumers with a tax credit of up to $7,500 when purchasing or leasing a new qualifying electric vehicle. The credit was eliminated through the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act “signed by President Trump.

In 2024, the Department of Transportation proposed a rule that would have required airlines to automatically compensate passengers with cash payments of up to $775 for significant flight delays and cancellations caused by the airline. The Trump Administration abandoned the rule in 2025.

💻❕Tell Congress to pass the bipartisan SCAM Act to close loopholes by requiring social media platforms to verify the identity of those placing ads; put in place a process for promptly reviewing consumers’ fraud complaints; and add teeth to the law to prosecute scammers!

🏦The CFPB issued a rule in 2024 limiting overdraft fees for many large banks. The Trump Administration and Republicans in Congress used the Congressional Review Act to overturn the rule. The rule was projected to save Americans up to $5 billion annually.

New Report on “Trump Fees” Costing Americans More Than $86 Billion Every Year. Senator Warren released a report revealing how Trump rollback of rules, slashing of programs, and abandonment of enforcement actions could cost a single household more than $5,400 in 2026. Read the report here!

The Oregon Prescription Drug Affordability Board invites you to attend a community forum to hear from patients, caregivers, & other Oregonians about the cost of your medications & how it impacts your lives. Find PDAB community forums flyers here: 💊PDAB flyer (in English) 💊PDAB flyer (en Español)

Trump's VA Killed A Home Loan Program. Vets Are Now Losing Their Homes Because Of It❗ More than 10,000 veterans lost their homes to foreclosure since May of 2025, when the Trump administration shut down a key safety net in the VA home loan program.

More than 10,000 veterans lost their homes to foreclosure since May of 2025, when the Trump administration shut down a key safety net in the VA home loan program. Read more on this topic in the NPR article linked below.

FBI Director Kash Patel told lawmakers during a hearing that the agency is purchasing commercially available information that is then used in law enforcement operations. By paying data brokers, the government can track individuals in deeply personal ways without a warrant or notification.

Cybersecurity researchers identified a hacking campaign targeting iPhone users in which attackers use a tool called DarkSword, TechCrunch reports. A newer version of DarkSword was recently posted to GitHub and allows hackers to target any iPhone or iPad not using Apple's latest iOS26 software.

🚗 A historic number of consumers are behind on their auto loans. New car payments are costing people as much as rent used to cost — $750 a month on average. More Perfect Union investigated auto lenders, and found companies making billions even as they set up customers up to fail.

🤖📞Robocalls, texts, and phishing emails from scammers are up this tax season compared to previous years, according to the consumer protection bureau of the FTC. Remember the IRS will not contact you directly by text or phone.

📲QR codes can make reaching a website hassle-free. The problem is – the naked eye can’t detect which codes are genuine and which are scams. Fraudsters exploit these seemingly harmless symbols to trick people into visiting malicious websites or unknowingly share private information.

🥳A win for consumers! The Oregon legislature passed HB 4029, which provides robust protections for Oregonians when they buy or lease a solar system.

🎓🇺🇲The U.S. Department of Education abandoned key oversight of the companies running the federal student loan program, according to a new report from the nonpartisan U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO). See more in NPR's article below! Check out U.S. GAO on Bluesky: bsky.app/profile/gao....

With the CFPB weakened, TransUnion and Experian have sharply reduced the share of consumer complaints they resolved in customers’ favor, according to a ProPublica analysis of federal complaint data. Find out more here: www.propublica.org/article/cred...

Check out this article in The New Yorker: www.newyorker.com/magazine/202... As the cost of living continues to spiral upward, the Trump Administration is gutting the government agency built to protect Americans from financial ruin.

According to Fraud.org, millennials (approximately ages 26–45) represented 39.8% of fraud complaints but were the fastest-growing age cohort. Complaints from consumers aged 26–35 rose 68.1% year over year, while those aged 36–45 increased 26.9%. Read more: fraud.org/top-ten-scam...

According to Fraud(.org), phishing and spoofing reports surged 85.6% year over year, nearly doubling compared to 2024. Median losses more than doubled as well, rising from $1,000 to $2,060. Read more here: fraud.org/top-ten-scam...

Learn about AI Agents and how they harm consumers. They are not assistants. They are autonomous systems with access to your most sensitive data that execute instructions—including instructions you did not give them. Tech Policy Press elaborates about AI angents in this article 🤖

Some online influencers are telling people that they can improve their credit by filing a false identity theft report about a debt they owe. That’s a crime, and it could get you a fine, a prison term, or both. If you want to improve your credit and stay out of jail, the FTC has some tips.

Check out President Trump’s Broken Promises and The State of Americans’ Ballooning Debts as President Trump Talks Affordability in the State of the Union. Read the memo here: protectborrowers.org/wp-content/u...

A BBB alert states that scammers are using “high-tech, hand-held printers to make a fake ticket and leave it on your car’s windshield.” Victims are mislead to pay online, through PayPal, or by a QR code to a fake payment website. The crook gets your fine, plus your personal and payment information.

Data brokers are required to register with the Oregon Department of Business and Consumer Services (DCBS). DCBS has a registry that includes contact information for all data brokers registered.

According to The Wall Street Journal, the chief executives of six of the largest banks were each awarded $40 million or more in 2025. Check out this article about the earnings of big bank CEOs during 2025 from The Wall Street Journal: www.wsj.com/finance/bank...

There are $21 billion reasons to love the CFPB. That’s the amount of relief it has delivered to people cheated by predatory lenders. Congress – it is time to show working people some love and restore CFPB funding. www.responsiblelending.org/show-your-lo... 💌💌💌 #CFPBMyValentine #CFPB

The CFPB still stands a year after the Trump admin tried to delete it, thanks to its staff and advocates. But, its ability to protect workers is hanging by a thread. Demand Congress show consumer protection some love this Valentine’s Day. www.responsiblelending.org/show-your-lo... #CFPBMyValentine

The National Consumer Law Center recently released “No Fresh Start 2025: Will States Protect Families from Wage and Asset Seizures as Debt Levels Soar?”, an annual report that grades each state’s exemption laws. Oregon’s rating is “D”! Read more here: www.nclc.org/resources/no...

Consumer Action maintains a listing of notable class actions so that interested consumers can learn more, join a pending action or make a claim. Class action lawsuits are an important element of consumer protection and can force changes to anti-consumer business practices. Read about Class Actions!

Check out the NPR article: 1 year into Trump's new term, an agency that protects your finances is 'hanging by a thread.' Complaints about businesses sent to the CFPB were up 89% last December compared with the previous December.

Check out the Tax Time Checklist from Veteran Saves: veteransaves.org/media/nezeir...

On 1/09/26, the CFPB released its 2025 Private Education Loan Ombudsman Annual Report analyzing consumer complaints on both private and federal student loans from 7/01/24 - 6/30/25. The CFPB received around 22,900 student loan complaints, the highest volume of complaints recorded in a single year.

Maximize Your Tax Refund Check out what is new from America Saves. Maximize Your Tax Refund: Deductions and Credits You Should Know (2025 Edition)

Beginning January 1, 2026: Towers must be contacted by the parking facility owner prior and provided a signed authorization and identification of the vehicle prior to the tow of the vehicle. Towers cannot act as a parking facility owner's agent for the purposes of identifying vehicles to be towed.

Identity Theft Awareness Week! Identity Theft Awareness Week runs from January 26-30, 2026. During the week, the Federal Trade Commission and its partners are organizing free events and resources. Check out this article from The Federal Trade Commission!

A New Student Loan Default Every 9 Seconds: The U.S. Department of Education is resuming administrative wage garnishment (AWG) for delinquent student loans beginning the week of January 7, 2026. Read the article here!

The Oregon Division of Financial Regulation ("DFR") is warning investors of a new generation of sophisticated fraud schemes. DFR has identified top investors frauds and threats to watch out for. Learn more: dfr.oregon.gov/news/news202...

Oregon's Attorney General Dan Rayfield leads a national lawsuit backed by 20 states to restore the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Read more in this article from The Oregonian:

As part of the Electronic Privacy Information Center's ("EPIC") work to challenge the unchecked expansion of surveillance systems, EPIC published “The Fight to Protect Our Phones: A Multi-Prong Approach to Spyware Reform” to illuminate threats posed by the use of spyware by government actors.

The National Consumer Law Center published Surviving Debt, providing precise, practical, and hard-hitting advice from the nation’s consumer law experts on how to deal with crushing debt affecting millions of consumers. Surviving Debt is available for free in its digital format. Read more here!:

Oregon Division of Financial Regulation (DFR) consumer advocates continue to work to help Oregonians. In the 3rd quarter of this year – July through September – the advocates helped recover $1,836,127, bringing the year-to-date total to $5,658,813 that is back in Oregonians' pockets. Click to read!

A Consumer Reports investigation found that Instacart — which promotes itself as the nation’s largest third-party grocery delivery service, conducts AI pricing experiments that result in different customers paying more for the exact same products, all without shoppers knowing. Read more here:

The Insurance Market Over the Past 5 Years: What Consumers Should Know A Consumer Federation of America blog reflects on 5 years of auto & homeowners' insurance trends, showing steep premium hikes, unfair pricing, and insurers pulling out of communities. Hear what consumers should be aware of!

The IRS Never Goes Phishing... The IRS does not request personal or financial information from taxpayers by email or other types of electronic communication, such as texts and social media channels. Read this IRS bulletin about what to do if you receive a suspicious IRS-related communication!

Scammers often exploit the holiday rush, using phony discount sites, fake shipping alerts, phishing emails, and spoofed charities — knowing you’re distracted, busy, and maybe a bit less vigilant. Be alert! Fraud(.org)'s article warns consumers of 10 scams that you may encounter this time of year.

Big Tech lobbyists are pushing members of Congress to cut a backroom deal that limits how states can protect residents from risky Artificial Intelligence by slipping it into a defense funding bill. Read more from Consumer Reports:

Check out Consumer Reports Homeowners Insurance Bill of Rights. It calls for a fairer, more accountable marketplace where policyholders can make informed decisions, secure coverage that meets their needs, and receive clear communication throughout their relationship with insurers. Read more here!