Confessions of Judgment in MCA Make the Evening News
Erie County Clerk Michael Kearns is no longer processing Confessions of Judgment (COJs) in Erie County for merchant cash advance companies, according to a statement his office published this week. Prior to being elected Clerk, Kearns was an assemblyman in the New York State legislature.
On Monday night, Kearns appeared on Channel 4’s evening news in Buffalo to discuss why his office had made the decision. Both Kearns and the local newscaster cite a highly controversial story series published by Bloomberg.
A review by deBanked of the series, revealed that two Bloomberg reporters had performed little or no fact checking of their sources. In one instance, for example, Bloomberg featured a business that had allegedly been “wiped out” by a $40,000 predatory loan gone wrong. Public records confirmed however, that the business owners continued to pay themselves more than a $100,000 salary from that business and that they still had nearly a million dollars flowing through their bank accounts. Facebook painted a similar picture, as one of the owners openly bragged about owning a new Camaro Super Sport with racing stripes.
Neither reporter has offered any explanation for the inaccuracies in their reporting.
Despite this, lawmakers and the Governor alike have called for an end to COJs in business credit transactions. You can watch the evening news segment below:
