Current Projects

Credit Health Builds Wealth

The Annie E. Casey Foundation awarded Maryland Consumers a Baltimore Direct Services Grant to create a pilot program called “Credit Health Builds Wealth.” Through seminars and individual financial check-ups, this program educates low-income individuals about credit reports and credit scores and their impact on the cost of credit, insurance rates, real estate rentals and employment.   The goal of this project is to help low-income individuals and their families understand and improve their credit scores, which will potentially save them significant amounts of money and improve their financial situation.

Our Board and staff are very excited about this project.  “Credit Health Builds Wealth” helps low income families avoid dealing with high cost lenders and shows them the dramatic savings that can result from improved credit scores and better credit terms. 

Credit Card Marketing to College Students

In the last several years, concern has been raised by a number of legislators, academics, university officials, students, and consumer advocates over the marketing of credit cards to college students. National studies have shown that over two-thirds of all college students have at least one general purpose credit card but no study had been undertaken to look at what is happening on Maryland college campuses.  In fact, conflicting information had been provided to Maryland legislators about the extent of university affiliations with credit card companies and credit card marketing to students.

Maryland Consumers received a grant from Direct Selling Education Foundation to study the marketing of credit cards to college students in Maryland . The results of the Maryland Consumers study, “Graduating Into Debt,” are featured on our main page.

It is designed to give students and parents an understanding of credit card marketing on Maryland campuses and to encourage schools and policymakers to take action to address the problems outlined in the report. Copies of the study have been distributed to university officials and to policymakers

Payday Loans

Privacy Rights

Maryland Consumers is concerned about the privacy rights of consumers and is monitoring legislation that impacts privacy rights. During the 2001 legislative session, Maryland Consumers testified in favor of state legislation that would provide privacy protections for internet users. While many of the provisions of this bill were defeated, a new division was created in the Attorney General’s Office to coordinate a response to internet related complaints and to focus on internet fraud.

Maryland Consumers is working with the Consumer Federation of America (CFA) to educate consumers about the Energy Star label - a symbol found on energy efficient appliances. We are also promoting a little known Maryland law that provides a tax exemption for consumers who purchase certain Energy Star appliances. We placed articles about Energy Star and the tax exemption in several newsletters, newspapers, distributed brochures at the Maryland State Fair and other events and promoted Energy Star on television and radio shows, getting the word out about Energy Star to many Maryland residents. For more information about Energy Star and the Maryland tax exemption go to our Energy Star Page.

Credit Card Marketing

Maryland Consumers is promoting a new website, www.truthaboutcredit.org, which describes what consumers can do to avoid high credit card charges and includes a credit cost calculator. We are advising consumers to be aware of penalty APR’s and increased fees for late payments. Penalty APR’s, which many credit card companies have started imposing if a customer makes a late payment or misses a payment, can increase the APR an average of 8%. Late fees have doubled in the last ten years to an average of $27.61.

Maryland Consumers is working with the Consumer Federation of America on a project to inform consumers that guns are not regulated for safety (as are virtually all other products) and to educate consumers about the potential benefits of safety regulation of guns. Maryland Consumers is one of ten state consumer organizations chosen to participate in the project. Like cars, prescription drugs, household pesticides and a host of other products sold in America, guns are inherently dangerous. They cannot be used as intended without exposing the user and bystanders to the risk of injury or death. The big difference between guns and other consumer products is that guns are not regulated for health and safety in their design, manufacture or distribution. No federal agency has the power to ensure that guns manufactured and sold are safe.