Welcome to Lawshelf’s video-course on consumer protection. In this course, we take an in-depth look at the multitudes of steps that have been taken to protect consumers from predatory practices of lenders, sellers and other participants in the marketplace. This is an intermediate-level course and some basic understanding of the world of law and regulation is recommended. There is also some overlap between this course and other courses on subjects to which these regulations apply, such as cyberlaw and mortgages.

Module 1 introduces consumer protection and discusses the seminal consumer protection law – the Truth in Lending Act. It also focuses on the Equal Credit Opportunity Act, which complemented the Civil Rights Acts by prohibiting discriminatory lending practices.

Module 2 focuses on credit and credit reports. It looks at the Fair Credit Reporting Act and its impacts on credit transactions. The module also analyzes the litany of responsibilities the law places on credit reporters and information furnishers (who are usually creditors, such as credit card companies).

Module 3 turns to identity theft. This burgeoning threat in an ever-more-connected world has been the subject of much regulation. The module surveys the myriads of state and federal regulations and resources that seek to protect victims and potential victims of identity theft.

Module 4 focuses on laws regulating false and deceptive advertising and marketing. It traces the history of these regulations and looks at cases and statutes that have defined the limits on commercial speech. The module ends with a discussion of regulation of telephone solicitations, which are heavily regulated even when not misleading.

Module 5 focuses on mandatory disclosures to credit card holders and mortgage borrowers. Disclosures are sometimes tedious and often difficult to understand, but their existence creates an air of transparency around the credit process. The module focuses on the Truth in Lending Act, the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act and the Credit CARD Act, along with accompanying regulations.

When finished with the course, the viewer should have a comprehensive understanding of the framework that has been put in place to help protect consumers and many of the details of these rules and regulations.

Best of luck and we welcome your feedback.