In its Summer Newsletter, the Washington Department of Financial Institutions (“DFI”) highlighted its involvement in seeking a refund of interest paid by a consumer whose spouse was a service member. After receiving written notice of the spouse’s active duty status, the creditor declined to adjust the interest rate charged, or issue a refund to the consumer since the credit was taken out by the consumer individually, and the consumer herself was not a service member. The DFI disagreed stating that since Washington is a community property state, debts incurred during the marriage are presumably joint obligations.
Full article can be found here.