Consumer Credit Law

Pennsylvania Credit Law Attorney | New Jersey Lawyer

Consumer credit card debt has a crippling effect on the U.S. economy every year, so much so that Congress passed the Credit Card Accountability, Responsibility, and Disclosure Act (CARD Act) in May of 2009. The CARD Act is a group of consumer credit laws that protect cardholders from unfair lending practices. If you are saddled with overwhelming debt, experienced credit law attorney John M. Kenney can determine whether your credit issuers complied with lending laws and whether any violations on their part may provide you with a path toward relief.

The Need for Consumer Credit Laws

Two of the major causes of credit card debt in recent years have been deceptively easy credit approvals and non-transparent billing practices. For years, banks have been offering loans and mortgages to people whose ability to meet their monthly payments has not been verified. Credit card companies have also made it easy for cardholders to accumulate debt by facilitating large purchases such as cars, furniture and appliances. Once consumers accrued a high level of debt, creditors would subject them to the following unfair lending practices:

• Significantly raising interest rates on existing cardholder accounts without warning or a clear explanation
• Charging late fees that are out of proportion to the required monthly payment
• Charging multiple over limit fees during one billing cycle

Help for Credit Debt in Pennsylvania and New Jersey

In addition to the CARD Act, there have been various state and federal laws passed in recent years that prevent credit providers from taking advantage of their customers. These laws make it mandatory for credit issuers to disclose key information and prohibit unfair practices in the billing, reporting, and collection of debt. Both Pennsylvania and New Jersey have laws that prohibit unfair and fraudulent business practices in general; now they have specific laws that focus on particular types of creditor practices as well. Consumer credit law attorney John M. Kenney has extensive knowledge of these laws and can help you understand how they apply to your specific situation.

Tangible Improvements in Consumer Credit Laws

Since the implementation of the CARD Act in February of 2010, there have been significant, measurable improvements in lending practices. These include:

• A more than 50% drop in the total amount of late fees
• A significant reduction in the average size of late fees from 35 dollars to 23 dollars
• A decrease in interest rate hikes on existing accounts from 15% to under 2%
• A drop in the number of accounts charged with over limit fees from 12% to less than 1%

Know Your Rights

For a free consultation about your consumer credit concerns, please contact the Law Firm of John M. Kenney, P.C., right away. Mr. Kenney has been serving clients throughout Bucks County, Montgomery County, Philadelphia County, and Mercer County since 1983. He will listen carefully to the details of your situation and provide you with the personal attention you deserve.

To discuss your debt reduction options, please call (215) 547-3031, email jmk@jkenneylaw.com, or fill out and submit our “Contact Us” form today.