Massachusetts Attorney General Increasing Enforcement In Car Repossession Space

• Published date: 16 September 2023
• Subject Matter: Corporate/Commercial Law, Media, Telecoms, IT, Entertainment, Corporate and Company Law, Contracts and Commercial Law, Mobile & Cable Communications
• Law Firm: McGuireWoods LLP
• Author: Mr Kevin B. Frankel, Jeffrey P. Ehrlich and Erin B. Ashwell

The Massachusetts Attorney General (AG) is increasing its enforcement in the motor-vehicle-repossession space. In a January 17, 2023 Assurance of Discontinuance (AOD), the AG stated that it is "conducting an investigation" into "entities collecting, servicing and/or funding" motor-vehicle-secured retail-installment contracts. The AG is focused on two primary areas of compliance:

• the content of the pre-sale and post-sale repossession notices and, in particular, that the notices include a statement that a customer's deficiency after auctioning their vehicle would be based on the vehicle's fair-market value; and
• the frequency of phone calls to debtors and whether those calls exceed the limits prescribed by 940 CMR 7.04(1)(f).

The current industry sweep is part of the AG's larger focus on the treatment of consumers who own motor vehicles. For example, on March 9, 2023, the AG announced that she will start enforcing the automotive right-to-repair law, which requires that automakers provide consumers and repair shops with "telematics" information so that independent repair shops can perform the same services as authorized dealers.

Certain Pre-Sale and Post-Sale Notices Must Include Fair-Market Value

The Motor Vehicle Retail Installment Sales Act governs the repossession and sale of motor vehicles under retail-installment contracts. The statute includes detailed requirements for the content of pre-sale and post-sale repossession notices. In Williams v. Am. Honda Fin. Corp., 479 Mass. 656, 669 (2018), the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court found that creditors should include the following information in pre-sale notices under ' 9-614(3):

The fair market value of your vehicle will be used to reduce the amount you owe, which is your outstanding balance plus the reasonable costs of repossessing and selling the vehicle. If the fair market value of your vehicle is less than you owe, you (will or will not, as applicable) still owe us the difference. If the fair market value of your vehicle is more than you owe, you will get the extra money, unless we must pay it to someone else.

The court concluded that this required language should also be added to post-sale deficiency notices. Id. at 668 ("We conclude that the notice that is required by the Uniform Commercial Code is never sufficient where the deficiency is not calculated based on the fair market value of the collateral and the notice fails to accurately describe how the deficiency is calculated.").

The court...