Innovation and technology are not the magic wands that will help low-income Americans climb out of debt; they often are tools used to prey on the neediest people, Seth Frotman, the CFPB’s general counsel told the Poverty Law...more
The most frequent consumer debt collection complaints filed with the CFPB in 2023 were attempts to collect debts that actually were not owed, the bureau said in its annual Fair Debt Collection Practices Act report....more
9/12/2024
/ Consumer Complaint System ,
Consumer Financial Products ,
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) ,
Consumer Lenders ,
Credit Cards ,
Debt ,
Debt Collection ,
Debt Collectors ,
Enforcement Actions ,
FDCPA ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Financial Institutions ,
Financial Regulatory Reform ,
Financial Services Industry
The CFPB recently issued yet another final rule the agency says will help deter violations of consumer protection laws. This rule requires certain nonbank entities to register with the CFPB upon becoming subject to any order...more
On August 22, 2024, the CFPB filed its reply brief in support of its motion to dissolve the preliminary injunction and lift the stay of the CFPB’s credit card late fee final rule (“Rule”) in the lawsuit challenging the Rule....more
8/28/2024
/ Administrative Procedure Act ,
CARD Act ,
Consumer Financial Products ,
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) ,
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau v Community Financial Services Association of America Ltd ,
Consumer Lenders ,
Credit Cards ,
Dodd-Frank ,
Final Rules ,
Financial Institutions ,
Financial Regulatory Reform ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Late Fees ,
Motion to Dismiss ,
Motion to Dissolve ,
Preliminary Injunctions ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Standing ,
Truth in Lending Act (TILA)
In February 2023, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (“CFPB” or the “Bureau”) announced an auto finance data pilot, where it ordered nine large auto lenders to provide information about their auto lending portfolios....more
8/27/2024
/ Automotive Industry ,
Automotive Loans ,
Consumer Financial Products ,
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) ,
Consumer Lenders ,
Data Collection ,
Dodd-Frank ,
Financial Institutions ,
Financial Regulatory Reform ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Lenders ,
OMB ,
Regulatory Agenda
On August 19, 2024, the CFPB filed its reply brief in support of the CFPB’s motion to dismiss Plaintiff Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce (Fort Worth Chamber) for lack of standing and, if granted, transfer the case to the...more
8/21/2024
/ Article III ,
Consumer Financial Products ,
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) ,
Consumer Lenders ,
Financial Institutions ,
Financial Regulatory Reform ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Motion to Dismiss ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Standing ,
Venue
On August 12, 2024, the plaintiffs filed their brief in opposition to the CFPB’s motion to dismiss Plaintiff Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce (Fort Worth Chamber) for lack of standing and if granted, transfer the case to the...more
8/14/2024
/ Article III ,
Consumer Financial Products ,
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) ,
Consumer Lenders ,
Credit Cards ,
Debt Collection ,
Final Rules ,
Financial Institutions ,
Financial Regulatory Reform ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Late Fees ,
Motion to Dismiss ,
Motion to Dissolve ,
Motion to Transfer ,
Preliminary Injunctions ,
Proposed Rules ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Standing
The CFPB’s latest focus on consumer fees is targeting payment processors for school lunches. The CFPB says that families who choose to purchase school lunches are being forced to pay fees to companies that process their...more
8/6/2024
/ Consumer Financial Products ,
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) ,
Consumer Lenders ,
Fees ,
Financial Institutions ,
Financial Regulatory Reform ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Public Schools ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
School Districts ,
School Lunch Programs
FirstCash, a national pawnshop chain, is asking a federal judge to confirm that it has a statutory defense to all of the CFPB’s claims that it violated the Military Lending Act (MLA) while also asking the judge to drop three...more
8/1/2024
/ Borrowers ,
Consent Order ,
Consumer Financial Products ,
Consumer Financial Protection Act (CFPA) ,
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) ,
Consumer Lenders ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Interest Rates ,
Military Lending Act ,
Motion for Summary Judgment ,
Payday Loans ,
Regulatory Authority
On July 29, 2024, the CFPB filed a motion to dismiss the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce as a Plaintiff for lack of standing and if granted, transfer the case to a the Federal District Court for D.C. In its brief, the CFPB...more
7/31/2024
/ Article III ,
Consumer Financial Products ,
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) ,
Consumer Lenders ,
Credit Cards ,
Debt Collection ,
Final Rules ,
Financial Institutions ,
Financial Regulatory Reform ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Late Fees ,
Motion to Dismiss ,
Motion to Transfer ,
Preliminary Injunctions ,
Proposed Rules ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Standing
The CFPB warned on July 24, 2024, that confidentiality agreements that employees of a company are required to sign likely violate federal law if those agreements imply that employees could face retaliation from their...more
7/30/2024
/ Confidentiality Agreements ,
Consumer Financial Products ,
Consumer Financial Protection Act (CFPA) ,
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) ,
Consumer Lenders ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Employees ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Contract ,
Financial Institutions ,
Financial Regulatory Reform ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Restrictive Covenants ,
Whistleblowers
On July 18, 2024, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (the “CFPB” or “Bureau”) proposed an interpretive rule that states (1) EWA products fall under the definition of “credit” under the Truth in Lending Act (“TILA”) and...more
7/25/2024
/ Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) ,
Comment Period ,
Consumer Financial Products ,
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) ,
Consumer Lenders ,
Credit ,
Financial Institutions ,
Financial Regulatory Reform ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Interpretive Rule ,
Loans ,
Payday Loans ,
Regulation Z ,
Truth in Lending Act (TILA) ,
Wage and Hour ,
Wages
On May 16, 2024, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the CFPB’s funding mechanism does not violate the Appropriations Clause of the U.S. Constitution. This two-part episode repurposes a recent webinar. In Part I, we first...more
The CFPB issued its final rule, titled the Registry of Nonbank Covered Persons Subject to Certain Agency and Court Orders Final Rule, on June 3, 2024. The rule will require certain nonbank entities to register certain covered...more
6/5/2024
/ Consent Order ,
Consumer Financial Products ,
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) ,
Consumer Lenders ,
Dodd-Frank ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Final Rules ,
Financial Institutions ,
Financial Regulatory Reform ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Nonbank Firms ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Reporting Requirements
On June 4, 2024, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (“CFPB”) issued a Consumer Financial Protection Circular 2024-03 (“Circular”) warning that the use of unlawful or unenforceable terms and conditions in contracts for...more
In a replay of earlier events, in response to an emergency petition for writ of mandamus and administrative stay of transfer filed by the plaintiffs in the lawsuit challenging the legality of the CFPB’s credit card late fee...more
5/31/2024
/ Constitutional Challenges ,
Consumer Financial Products ,
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) ,
Consumer Lenders ,
Credit Cards ,
Debt Collection ,
Final Rules ,
Financial Institutions ,
Financial Regulatory Reform ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Late Fees ,
Motion to Transfer ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Writ of Mandamus
On May 20, 2004, the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) sent its annual report to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (“CFPB”) highlighting its enforcement actions and initiatives in 2023 under the Truth in Lending Act...more
5/30/2024
/ Annual Reports ,
CARS Rule ,
Consumer Financial Products ,
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) ,
Consumer Leasing Act (CLA) ,
Consumer Lenders ,
Dodd-Frank ,
Electronic Fund Transfer Act ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Financial Institutions ,
Financial Regulatory Reform ,
Financial Services Industry ,
FTC Act ,
Late Fees ,
Proposed Amendments ,
Proposed Rules ,
Regulation Z ,
Truth in Lending Act (TILA) ,
Unfair or Deceptive Trade Practices
The result of the CFPB’s multi-year study of the BNPL industry is what the CFPB calls an interpretive rule in which it finds that: (1) “digital user accounts” (each a “DUA”) that may be used to access credit are “credit...more
5/24/2024
/ Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) ,
Consumer Financial Products ,
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) ,
Consumer Lenders ,
Credit Cards ,
Debt Collection ,
Financial Regulatory Reform ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Interpretive Rule ,
Regulation Z ,
Truth in Lending Act (TILA)
Last Friday, May 10, the Texas federal district court hearing the lawsuit challenging the CFPB’s final credit card late fee rule (Rule) granted the plaintiffs’ preliminary injunction motion and stayed the Rule. The Rule was...more
5/14/2024
/ Consumer Financial Products ,
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) ,
Consumer Lenders ,
Credit Cards ,
Debt Collection ,
Final Rules ,
Financial Institutions ,
Financial Regulatory Reform ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Late Fees ,
Preliminary Injunctions ,
Truth in Lending Act (TILA)
In the lawsuit challenging the CFPB’s final credit card late fee rule (Rule), the Fifth Circuit has denied the CFPB’s petition for a panel rehearing to reconsider the panel’s order vacating the district court’s order...more
Our special guest is Andrew Nigrinis of Legal Economics LLC and former CFPB enforcement economist. The CFPB’s final credit card late fee rule lowers the safe harbor late fee amount that card issuers other than “smaller card...more
Last week ended with several new developments in the lawsuit challenging the CFPB’s final credit card late fee rule (Rule), both of which appear to reduce the likelihood that the Rule will be stayed before its May 14...more
4/23/2024
/ Consumer Financial Products ,
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) ,
Consumer Lenders ,
Credit Cards ,
Debt Collection ,
Final Rules ,
Financial Institutions ,
Financial Regulatory Reform ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Late Fees ,
Preliminary Injunctions ,
Truth in Lending Act (TILA)
The Committee on Codes of Conduct of the Judicial Conference of the United States (Committee) has unanimously concluded that Fifth Circuit Judge Willett is not required to recuse in the trade group plaintiffs’ appeal in their...more
4/18/2024
/ Consumer Financial Products ,
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) ,
Consumer Lenders ,
Credit Cards ,
Debt Collection ,
Final Rules ,
Financial Institutions ,
Financial Regulatory Reform ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Jurisdiction ,
Late Fees ,
Preliminary Injunctions ,
Recusal
The U.S. Court of Appeals has extended until 5 p.m. CT today its administrative stay of the district court’s order transferring the case to the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. This is the Fifth Circuit’s...more
4/5/2024
/ Consumer Financial Products ,
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) ,
Consumer Lenders ,
Credit Cards ,
Debt Collection ,
Final Rules ,
Financial Institutions ,
Financial Regulatory Reform ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Jurisdiction ,
Late Fees ,
Motion to Transfer ,
Preliminary Injunctions ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Stays ,
Writ of Mandamus
Last week ended with an intense flurry of activity in the lawsuit challenging the CFPB’s final credit card late fee rule (Rule). The flurry followed the plaintiffs’ March 25 filing of a Notice of Appeal after the district...more