Debt Reform
Maryland Medical Debt: Insurance, Maryland’s Wins and National Trends
For Marylanders who receive their health insurance through the state exchange, the increase in costs is sickening. Insurers who offer policies on the state exchange are seeking 17% increases in premiums for individuals to cope with expected cuts in federal funding. These rising costs may make health insurance unaffordable for many working families with some officials estimating that 70,000 may forgo health insurance, increasing their risk of developing high medical debt. Insurance is one of many significant drivers of runaway healthcare costs and medical debt. On Monday, the Lown Institute released Past Due: How Medical Debt is Harming Americans and ...
Convenience Fee Questionnaire
Please answer the following three questions regarding management companies/landlords that charge convenience fees for tenants who pay rent monthly through a portal. Your responses will be anonymous -- in fact, the only personal information required is your ZIP Code. Thank you!
2025 End of Session Report
Yesterday was the last day of the legislative session and although it was a cool, gray, rainy day, there were still moments when the rain stopped, and the sun burst through. This is an apt description of this year's legislative session as well. At a time when economic protections and policies to promote racial equity are being decimated, and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is currently on life support, Maryland’s General Assembly passed some great bills, some good bills, and some very bad bills for working families. Below are some of the bills that Economic Action was thrilled to lead ...
Taking on Maryland’s Debt Collection Practices
Debt collection tactics in Maryland are something of a legend (in a bad way) in certain circles, along with its Central Collection Unit. One Maryland attorney decided enough is enough, and has taken on the system. Hear from our Executive Director, Marceline White, about this troublesome and shadowy state agency's draconian collection practices, in this Baltimore Banner article. You can read more about our Maryland policy advocacy work here.
Protect Maryland Residents from Foreclosure on Zombie Mortgages!
Maryland, Connecticut, and Alabama are rarely thought of as a trio; they are located in different regions in the U.S. with distinct food, culture, cities, and natural environments. They share one unfortunate trait: Maryland, Alabama, and Connecticut are the only three states in the country that do not have a statute of limitations for foreclosure. Statutes of limitations establishes the time limit for bringing a foreclosure action. Essentially, it means that if a homeowner misses mortgage payments, a foreclosure action must begin before the time runs out. This provides clarity for the homeowner and ensures that mortgage servicers have an ...
Post-Crossover Update: Heading To the Finish Line
Last Monday, March 17 wasn’t just St. Patrick’s Day. It was also ‘crossover day,’ the day by which a bill had to pass out of one chamber of the General Assembly in order to have a good chance of final passage by Sine Die, the last day of the 2025 legislative session on Monday, April 7. It wasn’t the luck of the Irish, it was the hard work of our policy team, our bill sponsors, our partners and supporters that led to 14 bills we’ve led and supported making it across this critical legislative hurdle. A few highlights include: HB268/SB981: ...
Voting Today — Stop Zombie Mortgages!
Today, the House and Senate will be voting on a bill that will roll back decades of consumer protection law and make it easier for zombie mortgage purchasers to enter the state. Because the turnaround rate on this bill from hearing to voting session is so quick, we need your help NOW to keep this bill from passing. The bill, HB1516/SB1026, introduced by Governor Moore’s Office of Financial Regulation, would allow predatory debt buyers to avoid oversight, investigation, regulation, and enforcement. It protects predatory zombie debt buyers instead of hardworking Maryland families. An NPR report found that more than 700 ...
Stop Zombie Mortgages from Running Rampant! Urge Your Legislator to Vote NO on HB1516/SB1026
An NPR report found that more than 700 homeowners in Maryland are facing foreclosure on second mortgages that they believed were resolved or died years ago. Yet these zombie mortgages are rising now to feast on the rising equity in many Maryland homes. The vast majority of these foreclosures on second-mortgages are concentrated in Baltimore City and Prince George's County, which means Black and Brown homeowners are disproportionately affected by these foreclosures, just as they were hardest hit by predatory mortgage products. Yet, Governor Moore’s Office of Financial Regulation has introduced HB1516/SB1026, which will allow these predatory debt buyers to ...
Help Pass Key Medical Debt Bills in the Senate!
Maryland families are struggling with the high costs of basic needs including food, housing, utilities, and healthcare. We are already seeing many costs increase, putting more pressure on hard-working low-income households. We are working hard to protect patients over profits this legislative session. This morning, two of our priority bills to address medical debt passed out of the House, and we need your help!. HB1020 sponsored by Del. Julie Palacovich-Carr will ban hospitals and outpatient providers as well as some healthcare credit cards from reporting medical debt to credit reporting agencies. Patients shouldn’t see their credit scores plummet because they ...
Stop the Assault on Consumer Protections in MD, Urge Your Legislators to Vote NO on HB1417 and SB883!
With federal consumer protection efforts under assault, it’s more important now than ever for Maryland to pursue robust, far-reaching legislation to protect our residents. Instead, several bills were introduced this week that would roll back decades of strong consumer protections for Maryland families and open the door to droves of out-of-state predatory lenders. This week, the House Economic Matters Committee and Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee heard two troubling bills: HB1471 sponsored by Del. Marlon Amprey would carve out an exemption from Maryland's strong 36% rate cap for consumer loans for ‘peer-to-peer lending companies.” SoLoFund, a peer-to-peer lending company that would ...