On February 18, 2025, President Trump signed an Executive Order designed to reduce the power of federal independent agencies by bringing them under the purview of the White House. The Executive Order provides that it applies...more
We previously reported and released a podcast episode on comments that we and Professor David Sherwyn of Cornell University submitted in opposition to the Petition for Rulemaking filed by a number of consumer advocacy groups...more
Ballard Spahr Senior Counsel Alan S. Kaplinsky and Mark J. Levin, and David Sherwyn, Professor of Law at Cornell University’s School of Hotel Administration, today submitted lengthy comments to the Consumer Financial...more
On Wednesday, by a vote of 53-44, the Senate voted to approve S.J. 32, the resolution introduced under the Congressional Review Act (CRA) to override the CFPB’s final Section 1071 small business lending rule (1071 Rule)....more
Two joint resolutions under the Congressional Review Act (CRA) to override the CFPB’s final Section 1071 small business lending rule have been introduced by Republican members in the House. The resolutions are H.J. Res. 50...more
The CFPB announced at the end of last week that it had entered into a consent order with Phoenix Financial Services, LLC (Phoenix), a third-party debt collector that collects primarily past-due medical debts and furnishes...more
I wrote a week or two back about my expectation that significant economic dislocation awaits us. I still think that. The morning after I published, hordes (ok, maybe not hordes) of PhD Villeins were outside my house with...more
Regulatory Announcements- FTC Commissioner Phillips Plans to Leave the Agency in the Fall, Per Media Reports. On August 8, several media outlets reported that FTC Commissioner Noah Phillips informed his staff through a memo...more
2020 AG Elections- Just Called: Incumbent Attorney General Wins Second Term in North Carolina- •North Carolina AG Josh Stein (D) won reelection in a closely watched race over Jim O’Neill (R) by a margin of 51% to 49.9%....more
We join the nation in mourning the passing of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Over her 20-year career before appointment to the D.C. circuit court, Justice Ginsburg fought for equal rights in the workplace, among...more
Is it just us or does March 4 — the date of our last issue — feel like a million years ago? Like you, and not necessarily in this order, we have been: doing our work; keeping up with COVID-19-related laws, guidance, and...more
Editor's Note - Differing Priorities? On June 14, Comptroller of the Currency Joseph M. Otting testified before the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, addressing his priorities for the Office of the...more
On January 20, 2017, businessman Donald J. Trump was sworn in as the 45th President of the United States following a contentious and unconventional 2016 presidential election. Republicans also successfully maintained control...more
For the first time in my memory, the Congress passed a joint resolution to disapprove a final regulation of a federal agency—in this case the CFPB and the rule was related to arbitration clauses in contracts for consumer...more
Consistent with recent indications from CFPB and Department of Justice officials that more redlining cases would soon be coming, the CFPB and DOJ have announced a proposed consent order with Hudson City Savings Bank to settle...more
This week, the Ferguson Commission released an analysis of the socio-economic environment following the shooting of Michael Brown that included recommendations for financially strengthening lower-income areas. The Commission,...more
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) recently announced a settlement with a company that services auto loans for alleged violations of the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) “Furnisher Rule.” The settlement serves as a reminder...more
On August 15, 2015, the CFPB released its latest “consumer complaint snapshot.” The Bureau’s “snapshots” generally provide updated national complaint information, and further include product and geographic spotlights that...more
In its Spring 2014 Supervisory Highlights report issued yesterday, the CFPB highlighted deficiencies and violations it found during examinations of consumer reporting agencies (CRAs), debt collectors and payday lenders. The...more
In the past few years, the federal government has devoted substantial resources to scrutinizing and litigating what it perceives to be unfair, deceptive or abusive mortgage-lending practices. Looking forward, all indications...more
The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, the National Credit Union Administration, and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (the “Prudential Regulators”) have...more
The CFPB issued a guidance bulletin setting forth its expectations for how companies that supply information for credit reports, commonly referred to as furnishers, should comply with the requirements of the Fair Credit...more
Do you use a third party service to conduct background checks on job applicants or employees? If yes, then you should take note of new forms which employers are required to use for this purpose, effective January 1, 2013. ...more
In This Issue: *Financial Industry Developments - OCC Guidance on Transition Periods under Section 716 of the Dodd-Frank Act - CFTC Reporting of Swap Transactions and Swap Dealer Registration - Department...more