A California state court recently denied a preliminary injunction sought by the California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation (the DFPI) in its long-running litigation against Opportunity Financial (OppFi)...more
In a victory for fintechs and the banks that partner with them, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California recently turned back two challenges by a consortium of state attorneys general to the "valid when...more
More than six years after it was decided, the practical consequences of the US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit’s Madden v. Midland Funding, LLC decision continue to diminish. The decision—which held that, under some...more
On November 5, 2020, the Consumer Protection Financial Bureau (CFPB) announced that it had filed a complaint against a Florida-based payday lender and its CEO in the Southern District of Florida. The complaint alleges that...more
We recently published a blog about the OCC’s proposed rule “National Banks and Federal Savings Associations as Lenders” (the “Proposed Rule”), which would clarify that a bank (or savings association) is properly regarded as...more
In 2015, the Second Circuit’s decision in Madden v. Midland Funding, LLC, raised doubts about whether banks could transfer, sell, or assign their interests in consumer debt without triggering the enforcement of state usury...more
Three weeks after California, Illinois and New York sued the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) to enjoin its final rule purporting to override the Second Circuit’s Madden decision as to national banks and...more
On June 9, 2020, the Colorado District Court issued an order stating that federal interest rate exportation authority under Section 27 of the Federal Depository Insurance Act does not extend to non-bank entities that purchase...more
The Second Circuit’s decision in Madden v. Midland Funding, LLC was announced in 2015. Since that time, there have been a number of cases brought based on the Second Circuit opinion, as well as recent regulatory proposals...more
The Situation: The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency ("OCC") has appealed a decision from the Southern District of New York that concluded that the OCC lacks the authority to grant "Fintech Charters" to nondepository...more
With the hope of finally addressing the uncertainty created by the U.S. Second Circuit Court of Appeal’s holding in Madden v. Midland Funding,1 the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) and the Federal Deposit...more
A number of diverse stakeholders gathered at George Mason University (GMU) on Nov. 18, 2019, to participate in a program entitled "Consumer Debt in America: What Would Rate Caps and Student Loan Forgiveness Mean?" The debate,...more
I don’t understand why Professor Levitin is attacking the OCC and FDIC for filing an amicus brief in an “obscure small business bankruptcy case to which a bank was not even a party.” The brief was an exceptional piece of...more
The OCC and FDIC have filed a joint amicus brief in a Colorado federal district court arguing that the court should affirm the decision of a bankruptcy court holding that a non-bank loan assignee could charge the same...more
Bank partnerships allow banks to offer loans to consumers and businesses by leveraging the resources of non-bank entities. The relationships between banks and their non-bank entity partners have existed for many years. In the...more
Bank partnership lending programs have existed for years and have played a significant role in the growth of the online lending industry and the fintech sector. In a bank partnership lending program, a non-bank partner...more
A New York resident, Ronald Bethune, accused LendingClub Corporation of violating the state's usury laws by charging him 29.97 percent interest on his loan—roughly twice the 16 percent limit under New York law and high enough...more
5th Circuit Revives FDIC's Suit Against Goldman, Deutsche Bank, and Royal Bank of Scotland - On August 10, 2015, the Fifth Circuit revived a securities fraud suit brought by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation...more
On July 20, the Department of the Treasury published a Notice and Request for Information (“RFI”) seeking comment on various aspects of online marketplace lending, including – - the business models and products offered...more
Third party debt buyers may face increased threat of state-law class action lawsuits after a recent Second Circuit ruling prohibiting such debt buyers from invoking federal preemption defenses under the National Bank Act to...more
Marketplace lenders and investors that purchase interests in loans originated by banks should pay close attention as it could spawn a host of class action lawsuits if left standing. In a controversial opinion decided on...more