On the recordSeptember 25, 2017
Mr. President, Wells Fargo creates 3.5 million fake accounts, charging customers fees and ruining credit scores. Equifax lets hackers steal personal information on 143 million Americans, putting nearly 60 percent of American adults at risk of identity theft. What is the Republican Party's response? To take away your legal rights to hold companies like Wells Fargo and Equifax accountable. I know that sounds nuts, but it is true. Here is the issue. If you have a checking account, a credit card, a private student loan, or any other number of financial products, there is a good chance that you have given up your right to go to court if this financial firm cheats you. That is because millions of financial contracts include a forced arbitration clause that says that, if you want to legally challenge something your financial company did to you, you can't join with other customers in court. You have to go to arbitration all by yourself. Think about what that means in the real world. You wake up one morning, and you find a mysterious $30 fee on your account statement. You call the bank and say: Hey, I didn't agree to this. The bank tells you: Go pound sand. So what are your options? Well, if there is no forced arbitration clause in your contract, you can join a class action lawsuit against the bank for free. Chances are you are not the only customer who got hit with an unauthorized $30 fee.…





