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Home Ownership and Equity Protection Act - Overview

The Home Ownership and Equity Protection Act (HOEPA) is a federal law designed to protect borrowers against unfair and deceptive practices in home equity lending. HOEPA applies to high-rate and high-fee refinancing and home equity installment loans.

The Children's Television Act - Host-Selling

"Host-selling" is any character endorsement that has the effect of confusing a child viewer from distinguishing between program and non-program material. For example, a promotion for a theme park or restaurant using a character in the program being viewed would constitute host-selling.

Federal Telemarketing Sales Rule - Credit Card Laundering

According to the Federal Trade Commission, "credit card laundering" is the misuse of a "merchant account" with a financial institution. A "merchant account" is a payment arrangement between a seller or telemarketer and a financial institution.

Deceptive Advertising and the Lanham Act

The Lanham Act is a federal law that permits a business to sue its competitor for deceptive advertising. The Act prohibits false or misleading commercial advertising that misrepresents the nature, characteristics, qualities, or geographic origin of goods, services, or commercial activities.

The Historic Homeowner - The Penn Central Decision and What It Means to You

The issue of historic preservation is governed by numerous federal, state, and local laws. In addition to the various laws, decisions rendered by courts in interpreting the laws have played an important role in historic preservation.