Governor Bentley Attends First Meeting of Consumer Protection Task Force

By: Gina Maiola, Digital Content Producer

MONTGOMERY (Governor’s Office) — Governor Robert Bentley on Wednesday kicked off the inaugural meeting of the Alabama Consumer Protection Task Force. The Governor created the Task Force through Executive Order 21 on June 14, 2016.

“I want Alabamians to be protected from unfair lending practices that take advantage of hard working men and women in this state,” Governor Bentley said. “I want this Consumer Protection Task Force to closely review all Alabama credit laws and the different type of consumer credit lenders. Once a thorough review is complete they will provide me with a list of recommendations to best protect the people of our state.”

The 33 member Task Force is charged with evaluating all consumer credit laws affecting Alabamians. Members are working to identify areas of Alabama’s consumer credit laws for possible revision or new legislation.

“I am pleased the Governor called this task force to take a comprehensive look at consumer lending in Alabama,” State Representative David Faulkner said. “Many of our consumer lending laws were drafted decades ago, and there have been many changes since that time. By taking a comprehensive look at these laws we can make sure the laws are appropriate for our citizens.”

Representative Faulkner will chair the Task Force. Various stakeholder organizations including the Governor’s Office appointed experts to Alabama’s Consumer Protection Task Force.

The Task Force is comprised of 33 experts appointed by various stakeholder organizations including the Office of the Governor, Alabama Legislature, Alabama Law Institute, Attorney General’s Office, Alabama Bar Association, Alabama State Baking Department, Alabama Department of Insurance, State of Alabama Credit Union Administration, Alabama Appleseed, Arise Citizen Policy Project, Southern Poverty Law Center, AARP, Alabama Pawnbrokers Association, Community Financial Services Association, Mortgage Bankers Association of Alabama, Alabama Mortgage Professionals Association, Alabama Lenders Association, Alabama Consumer Finance Association, American Financial Services Association, Alabama Bankers Association, Alabama Credit Union Association, and Alabama Securities Commission.

For a complete list of appointees click here.

The Task Force will report its findings and recommendations to the Governor by January 30, 2017.