马里兰州巴尔的摩市总检察长10月27日宣布与 Brigit 达成60万美元和解：涉工资预支产品隐瞒费用
马里兰州巴尔的摩市的消息，马里兰州总检察长安东尼·布朗10月27日宣布，其消费者保护部门已与金融科技公司 Bridge It 公司（品牌为 Brigit）达成和解，该公司提供工资预支类贷款产品。和解解决了总检察长部门对 Brigit 旗下“即时现金”产品涉嫌不公平和欺骗性做法的调查，和解要求该公司向总检察长办公室消费者保护部门支付60万美元。
自2019年以来，Brigit 一直在马里兰州提供“即时现金”产品，消费者可以提前获得一笔钱，再从工资中偿还。总检察长部门指控，该公司从事无牌放贷，并且在2019年12月至2023年10月期间，在推介“即时现金”时误导消费者。
指控包括：公司提供即时到账的现金预支，却没有清楚披露消费者需要为即时到账支付额外费用；公司宣称消费者可以获得某个预支额度，但实际上消费者可能并不符合该额度的资格；如果消费者已取预支款且尚未偿还，公司不允许其取消订阅或定期收费，导致消费者持续支付费用。
布朗表示，靠工资生活的马里兰人负担不起现金预支中的意外收费，和解要求公司清楚披露费用和条款，让消费者在借款前知道自己同意的是什么。
Maryland Attorney General Announces $600,000 Settlement with Brigit on October 27 over Hidden Fees in Paycheck Advance Product
In Baltimore, Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown announced on October 27 that his Consumer Protection Division has reached a settlement with fintech company Bridge It, Inc., which does business as Brigit and offers paycheck advance loan products. The settlement resolves the attorney general's investigation into alleged unfair and deceptive practices involving Brigit's "Instant Cash" product, and requires the company to pay $600,000 to the Consumer Protection Division of the Attorney General's Office.
Brigit has offered its "Instant Cash" product in Maryland since 2019, allowing consumers to receive money in advance and repay it from their paychecks. The attorney general's office alleged that the company engaged in unlicensed lending and misled consumers in marketing Instant Cash between December 2019 and October 2023.
The allegations include that the company offered instantly delivered cash advances without clearly disclosing that consumers had to pay extra fees for instant delivery; that it claimed consumers could receive a certain advance amount when they might not actually qualify for it; and that if a consumer had taken an advance and not yet repaid it, the company would not allow them to cancel subscriptions or recurring charges, leaving consumers paying continuing fees.
Brown said Marylanders who live paycheck to paycheck cannot afford surprise fees in cash advances, and that the settlement requires the company to clearly disclose fees and terms so consumers know what they are agreeing to before they borrow.
来源：GSM·美国（原文链接）
图片来源：马里兰州总检察长安东尼·布朗的官方肖像（其联邦众议员任内拍摄）。 / Official portrait of Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown, taken during his service in the U.S. House.
