In this study, we analyze the consumer welfare implications of regulating Rent-to-Own (RTO) transactions. We conclude that the benefits and costs of mandatory disclosure and labeling regulations currently imposed by most states are likely small, and that the effects of imposing a Federal...

Since 1981, the FTC has attacked fraud systematically, successfully using the authority under Section 13(b) to obtain a permanent injunction “in proper cases” to freeze assets ex parte and to force disgorgement of ill-gotten gains. More recently, the Commission has asserted the authority to...

We are frequently asked how, during our recent tenure at the Federal Trade Commission, we came to create the National Do Not Call Registry, one of the most popular government actions ever under- taken. The answer lies in our search for an approach to regulate the exchange of consumer information...

In 1981, while in the FTC's Bureau of Consumer Protection, two of the authors were instrumental in initiating the FTC's fraud program, relying on Section 13(b)'s authority to obtain a permanent injunction to seek equitable relief, including asset freezes and consumer redress. The fraud program...

The foundation of consumer protection policy is respect for consumer choice. Modern consumer protection recognizes the need to preserve information markets and to carefully structure interventions to ensure compatibility with how consumers actually process information.