Author: Alex

(HARTFORD, CT) – Governor Ned Lamont today announced that he has signed legislation creating a state law that exempts from property taxes the primary residence or motor vehicle of former members of the United States Armed Forces who have a permanent and total disability rating resulting from their active-duty service.

The exemption applies to a home that is owned by an eligible service member and is their primary residence. If an eligible service member does not own a home, the exemption will apply to one motor vehicle owned by the service member.

To qualify, the former service member must have served in the U.S. Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, Air Force, or Space Force; have a service-connected permanent and total disability rating as determined by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs; reside in Connecticut; and file for the exemption with the town assessor.

“Our service members put their lives on the line to protect our nation, and this property tax exemption will provide some relief to those who have made sacrifices for our country,” Governor Lamont said. “Connecticut is the home of many veterans who have provided for our nation, and we want to ensure that they are properly cared for in their lives after leaving service. I want to thank the entire legislature for sending this bill to my desk so that I could sign it into law, and in particular I applaud Representative Anthony Nolan for his continued advocacy in support of this bill.”

The bill was approved with the unanimous support of every member of the Connecticut General Assembly present and voting.

“This is one of the greatest bills I’ve voted for, and I’m so proud to see its unanimous, bipartisan passage in the legislature and signage into law by Governor Lamont,” State Representative Anthony Nolan (D-New London), co-chair of the Committee on Veterans and Military Affairs, said. “This bill acknowledges and appreciates the sacrifices these veterans have made for their country. It provides them with financial relief and support, recognizing their services and the challenges they may face due to their disabilities. It also improves their quality of life by easing their financial burden and allowing them to focus on their health and well-being. Thank you to Governor Lamont for his steadfast support and for signing this amazing bill into law.”

“Our veterans who served our country and made sacrifices deserve our continued support, and this law will provide them with welcome, valuable financial relief,” State Senator Martha Marx (D-New London), co-chair of the Committee on Veterans and Military Affairs, said. “It’s wonderful to know that our state’s disabled veterans will have this new benefit that will provide long-term aid.”

“As an Army veteran and American Legion Post commander, this is an issue that is very close to my heart,” State Senator Cathy Osten (D-Sprague), co-chair of the Appropriations Committee, said. “I’ve been working for years to get this law passed, and I’m really happy to see the unanimous and bipartisan support it got this year. Only one-half of one percent of Americans serve in the military. We have to remember what a select group of people we are talking about who might receive this benefit. As we approach Memorial Day, and as we bestow accolades and honors on all of those who have died fighting for our country, let’s remember that military service members are injured every day. Some of them will end up being permanently and totally disabled. These service members and their sacrifice for our country need to be remembered and honored, and eliminating their local property taxes is just one good way of doing that.”

The legislation is Public Act 24-46, An Act Establishing a Property Tax Exemption for Veterans Who Have a Service-Connected Permanent and Total Disability Rating. It takes effect October 1, 2024.

“Zelle and the big banks said they couldn’t help. What they really meant is they wouldn’t help.”

[WASHINGTON, DC] – Today, U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal, Chair of the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations (PSI), delivered opening remarks at a hearing titled “Fraud Alert!: Shedding Light on Zelle.” The hearing—featuring testimony from two individuals who were victimized by scammers on the peer-to-peer payment (P2P) platform—examined the human toll of schemes on P2P money transfer services, the availability of and processes for consumer reimbursement of money lost to scams and fraud, and the extent of current regulatory and legal protections for consumers.

“Zelle markets itself as, ‘a fast and easy way to send and receive money.’ But as this Subcommittee has found, ‘a fast and easy way to lose money’ is often what happens on Zelle,” said Blumenthal.

Emphasizing the unique risks associated with Zelle, Blumenthal underscored the need for the platform and the banks that own it to better protect consumers, “All peer-to-peer payment apps are susceptible to fraud, no question about that fact. And I want to be clear that fraud happens on all of them, but Zelle deserves particular attention because of its direct connection to trusted financial institutions. Zelle and the banks that own it offer to customers the appearance of the trust they feel they deserve. But the risks there are real and present, and they simply are failing to protect consumers in the way that they deserve.”

Blumenthal called on Zelle and the banks that own it to do more to protect consumers, “Many types of scams exist, but what they have in common is that these stories and many other consumers entail lost money due to fraud scams. Time and again, Zelle and the big banks have said they couldn’t help. What they mean is they wouldn’t help.”

“Unfortunately, for consumers, it seems like the big banks have accepted that some of the transactions on Zelle will be fraudulent. They’ve made the decision that this is just the cost of doing business. But it’s the cost to their consumers, not them, because it’s the customer who is out of pocket. That’s why we have invited Zelle and the three largest banks to appear,” Blumenthal concluded.

Video of Blumenthal’s opening remarks can be found here. The full transcript of Blumenthal’s opening remarks can be found below.

Thank you to my Co-Chairman of the Subcommittee, the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations—we work together on a bipartisan basis.

I am very pleased to welcome you to this hearing of the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, entitled “Hearing on Fraud Alert!: Shedding Light on Zelle.” And I will give an opening statement, it will be followed by Ranking Member.

The Banks of America have a dirty little secret. It’s called Zelle. And it’s not just Zelle, it’s other P2P paid platforms—apps that people use to transfer money among their bank accounts. In the case of Zelle, it is nearly instantaneous. It’s almost always irreversible. And it is owned by banks.

In fact, Zelle is the largest peer-to-peer payment app. It’s actually operated by Early Warning Services, which in turn is owned and operated by the seven largest banks. And Zelle is often integrated into consumers’ existing online bank accounts and mobile apps.

Zelle markets itself as “A fast and easy way to send and receive money.” But, as this Committee has found, “a fast and easy way to lose money” is often what happens on Zelle. And that is probably a more accurate catchphrase for Zelle and for other P2P platforms as well. What distinguishes Zelle is speed, permanence, and bank ownership, and that’s really the reason why we are focusing on Zelle, but the other platforms deserve attention as well. In fact, it’s less well known than other payment apps like Cash App and Venmo, but Zelle is by far the largest—several times its nearest competitor, and it is approximately three times larger than its nearest rival.

Zelle transfers are nearly instant and irreversible, and by the time a consumer knows they’ve been scammed, usually it’s too late to do anything about it—at least according to Zelle and according to the banks that own, control, and in effect operate Zelle.

Just three banks, J.P. Morgan, Chase, Bank of America, and Wells Fargo handled 73% of all Zelle transactions in 2023. All peer-to-peer payment apps are susceptible to fraud, no question about that fact. And I want to be clear that fraud happens on all of them, but Zelle deserves particular attention because of its direct connection to trusted financial institutions.

Zelle and the banks that own it offer to customers the appearance of the trust they feel they deserve. But the risks there are real and present, and they simply are failing to protect consumers in the way that they deserve. 13% of P-to-P platform users report sending money to someone and later realizing it was a scam. And the kinds of scams are various—me-to-me, employment, romance, AI. They have various categories. But the bottom line here is literally that the banks are failing to do what they should to protect their consumers.

This Subcommittee has heard many accounts of scams and fraud on Zelle. In California, a teenager received escalating death threats and lost $10,000 on Zelle simply because he wanted to protect his family. In Florida, criminals hacked into a woman’s bank account and used her confidential information to manipulate her into transferring almost $5,000 to Zelle scammers. In Arizona, a man used Zelle to purchase automobile parts he never received. And I would like to enter into the record a collection of news articles about Zelle scams and statements that we have received from consumers about their personal experiences with Zelle.

With us today are two individuals who have personally experienced those stories, and we thank them from their bravery and for their initiative in coming forward. Ariana Duval, a college student in North Carolina, will tell us her story in receiving an exciting summer research opportunity from a professor at her university only to learn she was out $2400 that she never had. Anne Humphreys is also here today to tell us her story, how her 94-year-old mother was scammed out of $3500 after being told that her brother had been arrested and needed bail money and how she struggled to get their bank to realize its insufficient safety measures allowed this scam to play out. Again, we thank you both.

Many types of scams exist, but what they have in common is that these stories and many other consumers entail lost money due to fraud scams. Time and again, Zelle and the big banks have said they couldn’t help. What they mean is they wouldn’t help. And their attitude has been, “Not our problem.”

Well, to the banks of America, particularly the seven that own and operate Zelle, it is your problem. You own it. Just as you own Zelle. And you have the expertise, the resources, and the obligation to make sure that you do better.

We are also going to hear from experts as part of this bipartisan inquiry into Zelle and Early Warning Services, the company that operates Zelle. And we hope to hear from the banks. We’ve actually invited them to come here in June and explain how they can do better and why they have failed to do so.

We have found that customers of J.P. Morgan, Chase, Bank of America, and Wells Fargo submitted claims reflecting a combined total of $456 million lost to scams and fraud on Zelle in one year, 2022 alone. And only a fraction were repaid, $341 million. More than two thirds of these losses were never repaid by those banks.

The growth of mobile payments shows no signs of stopping. But unfortunately, neither do the scammers who are preying on American consumers on those apps. Criminals are increasingly using scams tailored to individuals with AI voice cloning and personal details pulled from hacked data, sold on the dark web, and increasing the risk. The risks are growing, and so must the safeguards.

Zelle and its owner banks are aware of the frightening new trends. No question. They have been put on notice. They track detailed information about the latest scams, but they’re failing to stop them. And failing also to make their customers whole.

There are concrete steps these institutions can take to better protect customers. For example, banks could extend protections available to credit card users to Zelle transaction. They could allow customers to cancel or reverse a payment within a certain period of time. And they could, in effect, provide for better means of authentication—more friction and more time before a transaction is completed.

Those ideas are only a few of the possibilities. Unfortunately, for consumers, it seems like the big banks have accepted that some of the transactions on Zelle will be fraudulent. They’ve made the decision that this is just the cost of doing business. But it’s the cost to their consumers, not them, because it’s the customer who is out of pocket. That’s why we have invited Zelle and the three largest banks to appear. And today, in addition to Ms. Duval and Ms. Humphreys, we will be hearing from experts who’ve studied this issue and can better suggest potential remedies and preventions. And I look forward to hearing from all of you and now turn to the Ranking Member.

(Hartford, CT) – Attorney General William Tong this week joined a coalition of 19 attorneys general calling on the U.S. Department of Education to swiftly implement recently proposed regulations, which would provide needed relief for some of the nation’s most burdened student loan borrowers and help address the student debt crisis. The proposed regulations would waive or reduce student loan repayment for certain groups of federal student loan borrowers.

“For far too many Connecticut families, student loan debt is a crushing, unaffordable burden. This is an economic crisis exacerbated by bad actors in both the for-profit college and loan servicing industries, as well as long-term mismanagement over the course of many, many years and multiple federal administrations. I join attorneys general from across the country in urging the U.S. Department of Education to target robust relief to those most impacted by these long-term failures, including especially public servants and frontline workers wrongly denied Public Service Loan Forgiveness, and students saddled with debt for education they never received through failing institutions like Stone Academy,” said Attorney General Tong.

In a comment letter sent to the Department, the coalition underscores the critical need for meaningful debt relief to address the nationwide student debt crisis, which disproportionately burdens low-income borrowers and borrowers of color. Having worked on the frontlines advocating on behalf of student borrowers, the attorneys general submitting these comments have observed firsthand how historical and ongoing systemic failures of the federal student loan system have exacerbated and perpetuated the crisis. Drawing on these experiences, the coalition emphasizes the need for borrower relief and commends the Department for proposing regulations designed to help alleviate burdens for struggling borrowers.

The coalition commends the Department for proposing the regulations, which would provide meaningful and targeted relief to specific groups of borrowers. Specifically, the Department’s proposed regulations are designed to provide critical debt relief to:

•             Borrowers who have seen their student loan balances balloon through accrued and capitalized interest, and borrowers with older loans. These borrowers have been especially burdened by the misconduct of student loan servicers and the Department’s previous misguided policy choices.

•             Cohorts of borrowers with commercially held loans taken out under the Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) Program. The Department proposes a system by which certain cohorts of borrowers with commercially held FFELs may obtain debt relief. While FFELs stopped being issued in 2010, many borrowers with FFELs continue to be burdened by their debt. Specifically, many FFEL borrowers are in danger of missing the opportunity to consolidate their loans to access affordable income-driven repayment plans and loan forgiveness programs due to widespread servicer misconduct. Borrowers with FFELs must consolidate by June 30th to benefit. Debt relief is particularly critical for these borrowers and the coalition encourages the Department to further extend such relief.

•             Borrowers who attended a school that failed to meet its obligations to students. Under the proposed regulations, the Department will provide debt relief to borrowers who attended schools that lost their Title IV eligibility as a result of institutional problems related to student outcomes, and schools that failed to provide sufficient value to their students according to Departmental determinations. These borrowers did not get the benefit of the education they were promised for the federal loans they took out and should not be left holding the bag for institutional failures.

•             Borrowers who would have been eligible for relief under other federal student loan programs, such as income-driven repayment plans and the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program, but have not successfully enrolled in these programs, often due to the difficulties borrowers face navigating the complex federal loan repayment system.

The groups of borrowers identified by the Department in the proposed regulations have endured some of the greatest burdens associated with student loan debt and require critical Department assistance. As such, the coalition urges the Department to effectuate this proposed relief as quickly as possible to provide the most impactful relief for borrowers.