On January 11, the CFPB issued two advisory opinions providing guidance to consumer reporting agencies (CRAs) on the Bureau’s views on FCRA compliance obligations with respect to background check reports and credit file...more
The CFPB recently proposed two rules on its continuing war on so-called junk fees.
The first rule, proposed on January 17, target’s bank overdraft programs. Currently, financial institutions that extend overdraft loans...more
On January 23, the FTC entered into a settlement agreement with a cash-advance fintech app for $3 million over violations of the FTC Act, the Restore Online Shoppers’ Confidence Act (ROSCA), and ECOA....more
1/29/2024
/ Bank Service Providers ,
Consumer Financial Products ,
Disclosure ,
ECOA ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
FinTech ,
FTC Act ,
Refunds ,
ROSCA ,
Settlement Agreements
On December 4, Judge R. Gary Klausner of the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California granted summary judgment to California’s DFPI upholding the recently adopted commercial financing disclosure regulations...more
12/29/2023
/ California ,
Commercial Loans ,
Department of Financial Protection and Innovation (DFPI) ,
Disclosure ,
Financial Institutions ,
Lenders ,
Lending ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Small Business ,
Truth in Lending Act (TILA)
On December 19, President Biden vetoed the joint resolution (S. J. Res. 32) the US Senate and House of Representatives passed under the Congressional Review Act that would have repealed the CFPB’s small business data...more
On December 21, the Office of Inspector General (OIG) of the FDIC issued its audit memorandum on the FDIC’s Regional Service Provider (RSP) Examination Program. The OIG’s objective was to assess the effectiveness of the...more
On November 30, Washington D.C. introduced District of Columbia Council Bill B 25-0609, which would opt the state out of Section 521 of the Depository Institutions Deregulation and Monetary Control Act of 1980 (“DIDMCA”) with...more
On October 9, Florida introduced SB 146, which amends the Florida Consumer Finance Act (CFA), and joins other states that have passed laws characterizing certain nonbanks as the “true lender” of loans made through a bank...more
On November 21, the FTC voted 3-0 to approve the omnibus resolution authorizing the use of compulsory process in nonpublic investigations involving products and services that use or claim to be produced using artificial...more
12/11/2023
/ Artificial Intelligence ,
Biden Administration ,
Civil Investigation Demand ,
Competition ,
COPPA ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
FTC Act ,
Investigations ,
Policies and Procedures ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
UDAP ,
Unfair or Deceptive Trade Practices
On November 21, a Washington-based bank confirmed through a public filing that it entered into a consent order with the FDIC alleging that the bank engaged in unsafe or unsound banking practices, primarily related to products...more
On November 20, the CFPB, along with 11 state attorneys general and state regulators, entered into a stipulated final judgement and order with a Delaware-based company and two affiliated companies (“defendants”) in the...more
The FTC recently amended the Safeguards Rule to make non-banking institutions such as mortgage brokers, motor vehicle dealers, and payday lenders notify the FTC as soon as possible, and no later than 30 days after discovery,...more
On October 25, the CFPB released its sixth biennial report to Congress as required under the Credit Card Accountability Responsibility and Disclosure Act (CARD Act). The report found that in 2022 credit card companies charged...more
On November 7, the FTC and the State of Florida settled with a chargeback mitigation company and its owners for $150,000. The chargeback company was allegedly using deceptive practices, including referencing disclaimers that...more
On November 15, the CFPB issued an order requiring an Illinois-based fintech lender to pay $15 million in fines. The order additionally prohibits the company from operating in certain lines of business and requires revision...more
11/17/2023
/ Borrowers ,
Civil Monetary Penalty ,
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Executive Compensation ,
Financial Regulatory Reform ,
Financial Services Industry ,
FinTech ,
Informed Consent ,
Lenders ,
Redress Payments ,
Short-Term Loans
On November 2, the FTC entered into a settlement agreement with a Manhattan-based fintech company for $18 million over alleged deceptively marketed cash advances to consumers and impeding customers’ ability to cancel...more
On November 1, the OCC issued Bulletin 2023-34 addressing the topic of “venture lending,” referred to as “commercial loans to early-, expansion-, and late-stage companies.” According to the Bulletin, venture lending is often...more
On October 30, the Superior Court of California County of Los Angeles denied the DFPI’s motion for a preliminary injunction to force a Chicago-based fintech company to stop facilitating loans to California borrowers from its...more
11/10/2023
/ Banks ,
Borrowers ,
California ,
Consumer Financial Products ,
Department of Financial Protection and Innovation (DFPI) ,
Financial Institutions ,
Financial Services Industry ,
FinTech ,
Interest Rates ,
Loans ,
Preliminary Injunctions ,
True Lender
On November 2, the CFPB issued a new report on state Community Reinvestment Act laws. The report found that many states adopted Community Reinvestment Acts (CRAs) similar to the federal Community Reinvestment Act of 1977. The...more
On October 27, the FTC has approved an amendment to the Safeguards Rule that would require non-banking institutions to report certain data breaches and other security events to the agency. The amendment requires financial...more
On October 31, a federal jury in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri found the defendants, a trade association, which represents residential and commercial real estate industries, and multiple...more
On October 24, the FTC and the Wisconsin Department of Justice (DOJ) announced a $1.1 million settlement with a group of Wisconsin auto dealers for allegedly charging customers illegal junk fees and unlawfully discriminating...more
On October 26, the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas issued a nationwide preliminary injunction barring the CFPB from moving forward with implementing or enforcing the recently finalized Small...more
On October 18, the Senate voted 53-44 to approve S.J. Res. 32, a resolution sponsored by Sen. Kennedy (R-LA) to overturn the implementation of the CFPB’s final rule under Section 1071 of the Dodd-Frank Act requiring lenders...more
A number of state and federal regulators, bolstered by messaging from the Biden administration, have embarked on a concerted campaign to address so-called “junk fees.”
• CFPB – On Oct. 11, the CFPB issued an...more