On September 15, 2025, the Oregon Consumer League and other consumer advocates joined Governor Tina Kotek as she signed three new consumer protection bills into law, celebrating a legislative push to make everyday financial transactions fairer and more transparent for Oregon families.
Oregon will join 13 other states in prohibiting debt collectors, hospitals, and other entities from reporting medical debt to credit reporting agencies. The bill also includes provisions that prohibit credit reporting of debt on medical credit cards. The law takes effect on Jan. 1, 2026. See full text.
This bill requires that prices for goods or services offered online to Oregon residents include all fees and charges a buyer must pay to complete the transaction. It also requires that goods and services be advertised with all mandatory fees included. Businesses that violate the requirement could face action under Oregon's Unlawful Trade Practices Act. The law takes effect Jan. 1, 2026. See full text.
This bill provides significant transparency and safeguards when financing a car purchase. It mandates dealers to void the sale or provide financing at the original terms if financing cannot be arranged within ten days after the sale. Additionally, the law will now provide stronger protections if a sale involving a trade-in vehicle deal falls through and the dealer sells the trade-in vehicle, and it provides a consumer rights disclosure in multiple languages at the time of purchase. This new law takes effect on Jan. 1, 2026. See full Text HB3178 2025 Regular Session - Oregon Legislative Information System
Here’s what the agency has been doing for U.S. consumers since it was created in 2011—and what could change if the current administration continues to scale back its budget, staff, and mission.
Check out this report by Consumer Reports.
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) is facing a crisis following orders from the Trump administration to cease operations, effectively a "CFPB shutdown 2025." Acting Director Russell Vought directed CFPB staff to halt all work on February 10, 2025. This "Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Trump" action has sparked outrage, with advocates warning that gutting the CFPB will leave families vulnerable to fraud and abusive financial practices. For more details, read the NCLC's analysis of the "unlawful shut down of consumer agency": Details Here.
Check out Senator Warren's message about how the CFPB protects consumers against companies that engage in practices that harm consumers. Fight back to save the CFPB!
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DF5c-XZPjyM/?igsh=YXIydnI5MTRoZ3A5
When companies attempt to charge fees the person did not agree to initially, that's often illegal. Now that companies are being held accountable for charging unlawful fees, they have switched to new, underhanded tactics to try to continue to extract junk fee revenue from consumers. It’s particularly suspect when people have no choice about doing business with a company, such as a servicer or debt collector, when the fees are buried in “terms of service” or other hidden places, or when companies use “dark patterns” or other tricks to try to get consumers to “agree” to fees.
Check out the following CFPB blog describing new sketchy fee tactics:
New tactics from companies trying to charge illegal junk fees | Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
If you have had a problem with a consumer financial product or service, including improper tactics involving contract terms, you can submit a complaint with the CFPB.
There is growing consumer interest in solar power, and there are multiple options for financing the switch to solar power. Solar power financing transactions are complicated, and it is important for consumers to be informed to avoid predatory sales and marketing scams. Check out the following resources to learn more:
Educational Resources from the U.S. Department of the Treasury
Consumer Solar Awareness Website Consumer Solar Awareness | U.S. Department of the Treasury
Solar Consumer Advisory Consumer-Advisory-Solar-eng.pdf (treasury.gov)
Before You Buy Solar Panels Guide-Before-You-Buy-Solar-Panels-eng.pdf (treasury.gov)
Before You Sign a Solar Lease Guide-Before-You-Sign-a-Solar-Lease-eng.pdf (treasury.gov)
Before You Sign a Power Purchase Agreement Guide-Before-You-Sign-a-Power-Purchase-Agreement-eng.pdf (treasury.gov)
Before You Sign a Solar Subscription Guide-Before-You-Sign-a-Community-Solar-Subscription-eng.pdf (treasury.gov)
Educational Resources from the Federal Trade Commission
Consumer: How To Avoid Getting Burned How to avoid getting burned by solar or clean energy scams | Consumer Advice (ftc.gov)
Business: Don’t Waste Your Energy On a Solar Scam Don’t waste your energy on a solar scam | Federal Trade Commission (ftc.gov)
Educational Resources from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
Issue Spotlight Issue Spotlight: Solar Financing | Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (consumerfinance.gov)
Consumer Advisory Consumer advisory: Steer clear of costly and complex loans for solar energy installation | Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (consumerfinance.gov)
The proposed order will require Microsoft to bolster protections for children and makes clear that avatars, biometric and health data are protected under COPPA.
Microsoft will pay $20 million to settle Federal Trade Commission charges that it violated the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) by collecting personal information from children who signed up to its Xbox gaming system without notifying their parents or obtaining their parents’ consent, and by illegally retaining children’s personal information.
“Our proposed order makes it easier for parents to protect their children’s privacy on Xbox, and limits what information Microsoft can collect and retain about kids,” said Samuel Levine, Director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection. “This action should also make it abundantly clear that kids’ avatars, biometric data, and health information are not exempt from COPPA.”
As part of a proposed order filed by the Department of Justice on behalf of the FTC, Microsoft will be required to take several steps to bolster privacy protections for child users of its Xbox system. For example, the order will extend COPPA protections to third-party gaming publishers with whom Microsoft shares children’s data. In addition, the order makes clear that avatars generated from a child’s image, and biometric and health information, are covered by the COPPA Rule when collected with other personal data. The order must be approved by a federal court before it can go into effect.
The COPPA Rule requires online services and websites directed to children under 13 to notify parents about the personal information they collect and to obtain verifiable parental consent before collecting and using any personal information collected from children. According to a complaint also filed by DOJ, Microsoft violated the COPPA Rule’s notice, consent and data retention requirements.
Microsoft’s Xbox gaming products allow users to play and chat with other players through its Xbox Live service. To access and play games on an Xbox console or use any of the other Xbox Live features, users must create an account, which requires users to provide personal information including their first and last name, email address and their date of birth. Even when a user indicated that they were under 13, they were also asked, until late 2021, to provide additional personal information including a phone number and to agree to Microsoft’s service agreement and advertising policy, which until 2019 included a pre-checked box allowing Microsoft to send promotional messages and to share user data with advertisers, according to the complaint.
It wasn’t until after users provided this personal information that Microsoft required anyone who indicated they were under 13 to involve their parent. The child’s parent then had to complete the account creation process before the child could get their own account. According to the complaint, from 2015-2020 Microsoft retained the data—sometimes for years—that it collected from children during the account creation process, even when a parent failed to complete the process. COPPA prohibits retaining personal information about children for longer than is reasonably necessary to fulfill the purpose for which it was collected.
After a child makes an account, they can create a profile that will include their “gamertag,” which is the primary identifier visible to the user and other Xbox Live users, and can also upload a picture or include an avatar, which is a figure or image that represents the user. According to the complaint, Microsoft combined this information with a unique persistent identifier it creates for each account holder, even children, and could share this information with third-party game and app developers. Microsoft allowed—by default—all users, including children to play third-party games and apps while using Xbox Live, requiring parents to take additional steps to opt out if they don’t want their children to access them.
According to the complaint, Microsoft failed to fully comply with COPPA’s notice provisions. For example, Microsoft failed to disclose to parents all the information it collected, such as a child’s profile picture.
In addition to the monetary penalty, Microsoft will be required under the proposed order to:
The Commission voted 3-0 to refer the complaint and proposed federal order to the Department of Justice. The DOJ filed the complaint and stipulated order in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington state.
NOTE: The Commission authorizes the filing of a complaint when it has “reason to believe” that the named defendant is violating or is about to violate the law and it appears to the Commission that a proceeding is in the public interest. Stipulated orders have the force of law when approved and signed by the District Court judge.
The lead FTC attorneys on this matter are Megan Cox and Peder Magee from the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection.
This is the Commission’s third COPPA action within the last few weeks, following an announcement in mid-May against ed tech provider Edmodo and one last week involving Amazon.
The Federal Trade Commission works to promote competition and protect and educate consumers. Learn more about consumer topics at consumer.ftc.gov, or report fraud, scams, and bad business practices at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. Follow the FTC on social media, read consumer alerts and the business blog, and sign up to get the latest FTC news and alerts.
