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Preventing Future Economic Crises Through Consumer Protection Law Or How The Truth In Lending Act Failed The Subprime Borrowers, Jeff Sovern Jan 2010

Preventing Future Economic Crises Through Consumer Protection Law Or How The Truth In Lending Act Failed The Subprime Borrowers, Jeff Sovern

Faculty Publications

This Article argues that one cause of the current economic crisis was that the federal Truth in Lending Act (TILA) failed to provide mortgage borrowers with the tools to determine whether they would be able to meet their loan obligations, and that as a result many borrowers assumed loans on which they would later default. The Article first explores the disclosures for adjustable-rate mortgages-which were commonly used for subprime loans-and explains how those disclosures misled borrowers about their monthly payments. Next, the Article reports on a survey of mortgage brokers conducted in July of 2009. The brokers were nearly unanimous …