The FTC recently sent a letter to the CFPB reporting on the FTC’s 2014 activities related to compliance with the Equal Credit Opportunity Act and Regulation B.

Although the FTC has authority to enforce the ECOA and Reg B as to nonbank providers within its jurisdiction, the letter does not include any specific 2014 FTC enforcement activity. The letter only includes information about some of the FTC’s research and policy development efforts and educational initiatives.

With respect to fair lending research and policy development, the FTC’s efforts included hosting a public workshop on the use of “big data,” including how such data impacts the extension of credit to consumers, and a seminar on alternative scoring products. The FTC’s educational initiatives included providing information to consumers through blog posts dealing with ECOA issues related to advertising and other issues related to auto financing.