Consumer Advocates Seek Halt to 'Yo-Yo' Car Financing

New York Times
April 18, 2012
Carrns, Ann

Consumer advocacy groups are calling on the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to put a stop to "yo-yo" car financing schemes. In a typical scenario, a consumer drives off the lot with a car, believing the deal is complete, but is called back several days later and required to sign a less favorable deal or forfeit the vehicle. In February, the Center for Responsible Lending (CRL) submitted testimony to the FTC, calling the schemes harmful to low-income customers and those with bad credit. The CRL told the federal regulators that the "spot sales" usually occur when a dealership is unable to sell the loan to a bank or finance company. According to Christopher Kukla, senior counsel for government affairs at CRL, buyers in such situation often sign new contracts with higher interest rates and/or down payments; and those who refuse sometimes are unable to get their trade-in vehicles back. The CRL and other consumer advocates are asking the FTC to halt these sales as "unfair and deceptive" practices. The National Automobile Dealers Association claims that such deals are not prevalent.
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