Edmiston Marketing, LLC d/b/a Easy Military Travel, Brandon Edmiston
On November 25, 2019, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (Bureau) issued a consent order against Edmiston Marketing, LLC, also known as Easy Military Travel; and Brandon Edmiston, the owner and operator of Easy Military Travel. The Bureau found that Easy Military Travel and Edmiston violated the Consumer Financial Protection Act of 2010 (CFPA) by misrepresenting the true cost of credit for loans for airline tickets. The Bureau also found that Easy Military Travel failed to provide certain required disclosures about the terms of credit in violation of the Truth in Lending Act and Regulation Z. The Bureau also found that Easy Military Travel and Edmiston failed to disclose the total costs of purchasing airline tickets through financing in the course of telemarketing the loans in violation of the Telemarketing Sales Rule. The action was filed concurrently with a consent order issued against USA Service Finance, LLC (USASF), in which the Bureau found that USASF engaged in deceptive practices in violation of the CFPA by overcharging servicemembers and their families for a debt-cancellation product that was offered in connection with the Easy Military Travel loans for airline tickets, which USASF purchased and serviced.
The consent order issued against Easy Military Travel and Edmiston requires restitution to servicemembers and their families who paid the hidden finance charges by imposing a suspended judgment in the amount of $3,468,224. The consent order also requires Easy Military Travel and Edmiston to pay a civil money penalty of $1, and prohibits them from future consumer lending targeted to servicemembers and their families. The suspension of the payment for restitution, as well as the $1 civil penalty, are based on Easy Military Travel’s and Edmiston’s inability to pay more based on sworn financial statements submitted to the Bureau. Harmed consumers may be eligible for relief from the Bureau’s Civil Penalty Fund.
Press release
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Settle with Military Travel Lender and Servicer