InfoBytes Blog
FTC settles with MCA providers for $9.8 million
On April 22, the FTC announced a settlement with two New York-based merchant cash advance providers and two company executives (collectively, “defendants”) for allegedly engaging in deceptive practices by misrepresenting the terms of their merchant cash advances (MCAs), using unfair collection practices, making unauthorized withdrawals from consumers’ accounts, and misrepresenting collateral and personal guarantee requirements. As previously covered by InfoBytes, the FTC filed a complaint against the defendants last year claiming, among other things, that the defendants (i) falsely advertised that MCAs do not require collateral or personal guarantees, but when consumers defaulted on their financing agreements, the defendants frequently filed lawsuits against them, including against individual business owners who provided personal guarantees, to collect the unpaid amount; (ii) misrepresented the amount of total financing in the contract that consumers would receive by withholding fees that are deducted from the promised funds; and (iii) made unfair, unauthorized withdrawals from customers’ bank accounts in excess of consumers’ authorization without express informed consent, while continuing to debit customers’ bank accounts after the MCAs were fully repaid.
Under the terms of the stipulated order, which was approved by the court on May 5, the defendants are required to pay more than $9.8 million to the FTC to go towards redress to affected customers. The defendants are also permanently prohibited from making misleading statements to consumers about the terms of their financing or making withdrawals from consumers’ bank accounts without first receiving their express informed consent, and are required to clearly and conspicuously disclose any financing fees as well as the actual amount consumers will receive after the fees are assessed. Further, the defendants must establish a process to monitor any marketers or funding companies that work on their behalf to ensure, among other things, that such companies abide by the terms of the settlement.