One of the country’s largest automotive retailers filed suit against the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) on October 4, arguing that the Supreme Court’s recent landmark decision in Securities and Exchange Commission v....more
10/25/2024
/ Add-ons ,
Administrative Authority ,
Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) ,
Administrative Proceedings ,
Article III ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Jury Trial ,
Public Rights Doctrine ,
SCOTUS ,
SEC v Jarkesy ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Seventh Amendment ,
Standing ,
Unfair or Deceptive Trade Practices
On October 16, the FTC issued its final amendments to the Negative Option Rule, which now applies to all negative option programs and includes a “click to cancel” provision intended to make it easier for consumers to cancel...more
On August 15, 2024, the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) and Arizona Attorney General announced a proposed settlement with an Arizona-based vehicle dealership to resolve allegations that the dealership misrepresented prices...more
8/21/2024
/ Anti-Discrimination Policies ,
Arizona ,
Borrowers ,
Car Dealerships ,
CARS Rule ,
Consent ,
Consumer Fraud ,
ECOA ,
Fair Lending ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Financial Services Industry ,
FTC Act ,
Motor Vehicles ,
Section 5 ,
UDAAP ,
Unfair or Deceptive Trade Practices
The Federal Trade Commission on August 14 announced a final trade regulation rule intended to fight fake reviews and testimonials by prohibiting their purchase or sale and by allowing the agency to seek civil penalties...more
8/21/2024
/ Celebrity Endorsements ,
Consumer Financial Products ,
Fake Reviews ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Final Rules ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Marketing ,
Online Reviews ,
Proposed Rules ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Social Media ,
Testimonial Statements ,
Unfair or Deceptive Trade Practices
Career Step LLC, an online career training company has been ordered to pay $43.5 million in cash and debt cancellation to resolve FTC charges that the company “lured consumers, specifically servicemembers and their families,...more
8/14/2024
/ Cancellation of Debt (COD) ,
Consumer Financial Products ,
Debt ,
Debt Collection ,
False Advertising ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Military Service Members ,
Online Advertisements ,
Online Education ,
Redress Payments ,
Students
CarShield, a company that sells vehicle service contracts (VSCs), will pay $10 million to settle FTC allegations that its advertisements and telemarketing pitches deceived consumers, the agency announced on July 31....more
8/13/2024
/ Administrative Procedure Act ,
Advertising ,
Automotive Industry ,
CARS Rule ,
False Advertising ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
FTC Act ,
Marketing ,
Motor Vehicles ,
Section 5 ,
Service Contracts ,
Telemarketing ,
Unfair or Deceptive Trade Practices
The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals has set oral arguments for Oct. 7 in the challenge of the Federal Trade Commission’s Combating Auto Retail Scams Rule (“CARS Rule”). The petition, filed on January 5, 2024 by the National...more
7/23/2024
/ Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRM) ,
Car Dealerships ,
CARS Rule ,
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Financial Institutions ,
Financial Regulatory Reform ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Motor Vehicles ,
Oral Argument ,
Unfair or Deceptive Trade Practices
Vroom, the former used car sales website which halted vehicle sales in January 2024, has agreed to a proposed settlement with the FTC over allegations the company misrepresented that it had examined all vehicles before...more
7/17/2024
/ Automotive Industry ,
Car Dealerships ,
CARS Rule ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Financial Services Industry ,
FTC Act ,
Motor Vehicles ,
Settlement ,
Statutory Violations ,
Unfair or Deceptive Trade Practices
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
On May 14, 2024, the Federal Trade Commission’s (“FTC”) filed its brief in opposition to Petitioners’ Brief in the legal challenge to the Combating Auto Retail Scams Rule (“CARS Rule”). The petitioners are the National...more
5/22/2024
/ Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRM) ,
Amicus Briefs ,
Automotive Industry ,
Automotive Loans ,
Car Dealerships ,
CARS Rule ,
Chevron v NRDC ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Financial Services Industry ,
FTC Act ,
Motor Vehicles ,
Scams ,
Unfair or Deceptive Trade Practices
On April 17th, the CFPB issued a consent order to a for-profit training school alleging numerous violations of law related to its use if income share agreements (“ISAs”). According to the Bureau, BloomTech, Inc. (“BloomTech”)...more
4/29/2024
/ Consent Order ,
Consumer Financial Products ,
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) ,
Department of Financial Protection and Innovation (DFPI) ,
Educational Institutions ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Holder Rule ,
Income Share Agreements ,
Regulation Z ,
Regulatory Violations ,
Truth in Lending Act (TILA) ,
UDAAP ,
Unfair or Deceptive Trade Practices
Petitioners in the challenge to the Federal Trade Commission’s (“FTC”) Combating Auto Retail Scams Rule (“CARS Rule”) filed their Petitioners’ Brief on March 15, 2004 in support of their petition for review, and a who’s who...more
4/26/2024
/ Advertising ,
Amicus Briefs ,
Automotive Industry ,
Automotive Loans ,
Car Dealerships ,
CARS Rule ,
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Financial Institutions ,
Financing ,
UDAAP ,
UDAP
Our special guest is Richard (“Rick”) Hackett, former Assistant CFPB Director responsible for auto finance regulation and presently a member of the Board of F&I Sentinel, which supports lender compliance in the auto finance...more
Our special guest is Richard (“Rick”) Hackett, former Assistant CFPB Director responsible for auto finance regulation and presently a member of the Board of F&I Sentinel, which supports lender compliance in the auto finance...more
On January 18, 2024, the Federal Trade Commission’s (“FTC”) announced that it is postponing the effective date of the Combating Auto Retail Scams Rule (“CARS Rule”) in light of the legal challenge from industry trade...more
1/22/2024
/ Car Dealerships ,
Cars ,
CARS Rule ,
False Advertising ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Fees ,
Final Rules ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Lease Financing ,
Motor Vehicles ,
Postponement ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Unfair or Deceptive Trade Practices
On January 5, 2024, two trade groups representing auto dealers filed a petition for review challenging the Federal Trade Commission’s (“FTC”) new Combating Auto Retail Scams Rule (“CARS Rule”). In the petition, the National...more
On December 12, 2024, the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) announced its Combating Auto Retail Scams Rule, otherwise known as the “CARS Rule,” setting new requirements on the sale, financing, and leasing of vehicles by motor...more
12/21/2023
/ Add-ons ,
Automotive Industry ,
Automotive Loans ,
Car Dealerships ,
CARS Rule ,
Consent ,
Consumer Financial Contracts ,
Consumer Protection Act ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Financing ,
FTC Act ,
Holder Rule ,
Motor Vehicles ,
New Rules ,
Offering Price ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Unfair or Deceptive Trade Practices
On January 12, 2023, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (“CFPB”) issued a report highlighting an increase in reported incidents of identity theft by servicemembers. The report, titled “Servicemember reports about...more
11/8/2023
/ Consumer Financial Products ,
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) ,
Credit Cards ,
Creditors ,
Data Security ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Financial Institutions ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Identity Theft ,
Military Lending Act ,
Military Service Members ,
Regulatory Standards ,
Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA)
The Federal Trade Commission and Wisconsin Attorney General have entered into settlements with a group of auto dealerships, their current and former corporate owners, and their general manager for allegedly engaging in...more
11/1/2023
/ Add-ons ,
Attorney General ,
Automotive Industry ,
Car Dealerships ,
Consumer Financial Products ,
Discriminatory Lending Practices ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Financial Institutions ,
Financial Services Industry ,
FTC Act ,
Motor Vehicles ,
Settlement ,
Unfair or Deceptive Trade Practices
The New Jersey Attorney General (NJAG) and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) recently announced settlements in concurrent actions against Sollers College, a for-profit college, its parent company, Sollers, Inc., and, in the...more
10/30/2023
/ Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Financial Institutions ,
Financial Services Industry ,
For Profit Colleges ,
FTC Act ,
Income Share Agreements ,
Job Offers ,
Misrepresentation ,
Settlement ,
Students
On June 21, 2023, the American Financial Services Association (“AFSA”) asked the House Appropriations Committee to include language in the Financial Services and General Government appropriations bill that would prevent the...more
6/26/2023
/ Administrative Procedure Act ,
Car Dealerships ,
Congressional Committees ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Motor Vehicles ,
Proposed Rules ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Rulemaking Process
On May 31, 2023, the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) requested public comment on a petition for rulemaking it received from six national consumer advocate groups regarding “yo-yo sales,” a term the groups use to refer to...more
6/15/2023
/ Automotive Loans ,
Comment Period ,
Consumer Financial Products ,
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Financial Contracts ,
Financial Services Industry ,
FTC Act ,
Public Comment ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Retail Installment Sales Contracts ,
Rulemaking Process ,
Section 5 ,
UDAP ,
Unfair or Deceptive Trade Practices
On March 23, 2023, the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC” or “Commission”) issued a Notice of Proposed Rule Making (“NPRM”) seeking comment on proposed amendments to the Commission’s Negative Option Rule. The proposed...more
On January 31, 2023, the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office (“Mass AG”) announced a settlement with Hometown Auto Framingham, Inc. (“Hometown Auto”), resolving allegations that the auto dealership had engaged in unfair,...more
On January 12, 2023, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (“CFPB”) issued a report highlighting an increase in reported incidents of identity theft by servicemembers. The report, titled “Servicemember reports about...more