On April 9, 2024, seven states filed suit against the Biden administration in an attempt to block its new “SAVE” plan, an income-driven repayment plan that leads to eventual loan forgiveness. The case is pending in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri.
Continue Reading States Sue the Biden Administration to Stop Loan Relief Plan
In the FDIC’s latest monthly update on enforcement decisions and orders, the agency published recent consent orders it entered against both a New York-based and an Ohio-based bank, the latest in the agency’s series of enforcement actions against bank-fintech partnerships. The orders did not impose any fines or civil penalties but require corrective actions by the banks and their boards.
Continue Reading FDIC Issues Orders Against Two More Banks Over Fintech Partnerships
On April 8, the CFPB published its Spring 2024 Supervisory Highlights detailing key findings from the CFPB’s recent examinations into perceived accuracy problems in the credit reporting system. Notably the report focused solely on institutions’ credit reporting violations, and not on violations of other federal consumer financial laws. Among the report’s more significant findings:
Continue Reading Latest CFPB Supervisory Highlights Keys in on Accuracy in Consumer Credit Reports
On March 25, Washington State became the latest in a growing list of jurisdictions to introduce a “true lender” law with the passing of bill SB 6025. The legislation, similar to laws in other states would characterize a person as the “lender” of a loan if the person makes a loan in excess of the state’s rate cap and if the person:
Continue Reading Washington State Passes New “True Lender” Legislation
On March 21, the FDIC, Fed, and OCC jointly issued an interim final rule to extend the applicability date of certain provisions of the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) final rule and requested comments on the extension. The CRA, was enacted to encourage banks to help meet the credit needs of low- and moderate-income communities. The new rules, adopted in October 2023, are an effort by federal regulators to increase the CRA’s scope and rigor as well as modernize it for the digital age by better accounting for banks’ internet and mobile banking services. While previous CRA exams focused on the
Continue Reading Persisting Regulatory Uncertainty: Federal Regulators Delay New Community Lending Rules
On March 29, the CFPB and the FTC jointly filed an amicus brief with the Eleventh Circuit in a matter involving a dispute under the Fair Credit Reporting Act. The case involves a consumer who filed disputes with a consumer reporting agency (CRA) after discovering multiple errors in her credit file, including incorrect personal information. However, the CRA failed to delete the disputed information, notify any furnishers of the consumer’s dispute, or provide the sources of the disputed information. The consumer sued, alleging the CRA violated the FCRA’s reinvestigation requirement by failing to reinvestigate her dispute regarding her name, address, and SSN
Continue Reading CFPB and FTC Argue Consumer Reporting Companies Have an Obligation to Correct Errors in Joint Amicus Brief
On April 2, at an event at the White House on Data Protection and National Security, CFPB Director Rohit Chopra’s articulated potential changes to the data security regulation landscape and noted that the Bureau is considering rules to amend the Fair Credit Report Acting, tightening the regulation of data brokers that trade in sensitive consumer data. His remarks follow an Executive Order signed by President Biden five weeks ago aimed at protecting American’s sensitive personal data from “countries of concern.”
Continue Reading CFPB Announces Potential FCRA Expansion Targeting Brokers of Consumer Data
On April 4, the CFPB published a new Issue Spotlight, titled “Banking in Video Games and Virtual Worlds” that analyzes the increased commercial activity within online video games and virtual worlds and the apparent risks to consumers—in this case, to online gamers. In particular, this report examines how “game assets” are being used and the associated risks, including the emergence of products or services that resemble traditional consumer financial products or services.
Continue Reading Report Signals CFPB Taking Aim at Video Game and Virtual Worlds Industries
On March 27, the CFPB issued Circular 2024-02, which warns that remittance providers may be liable under the CFPA for certain deceptive marketing practices related to the speed or cost of sending a remittance transfer. Under EFTA’s “Remittance Rule,” (Subpart B of Regulation E), the term “remittance transfer” includes most electronic transfers of funds sent by consumers in the United States to recipients in other countries. Alarmingly, the Bureau notes that providers may be liable irrespective of whether they are in compliance with the Remittance Rule’s disclosure requirements. The Bureau’s circular singles out the following advertising practices by remittance providers
Continue Reading CFPB Issues Guidance on Deceptive Practices by Remittance Transfer Providers
On March 25, a coalition of trade groups filed suit in the United States District Court for the District of Colorado, challenging a Colorado law which would have opted the state Section 521 of the Depository Institutions Deregulation and Monetary Control Act of 1980 (“DIDMCA”), a federal law enacted to create competitive equality between state-chartered banks and national banks. The law, set to take effect on July 1, 2024, would have subject out-of-state lenders to the state’s rate cap.
Continue Reading Lenders Sue to Block Colorado’s Interest Rate ‘Opt-Out’ Law
On March 21, Wisconsin enacted into law Assembly Bill 574, positioning it as the third state, following Nevada and Missouri, to establish a comprehensive regulatory framework for earned wages access (EWA) services and products. The legislation is set to take effect September 1, 2024.
Continue Reading Wisconsin Signs Earned Wage Access Bill into Law
In a significant ruling on March 19, the Third Circuit Court of Appeals held that the CFPB can proceed with its lawsuit against a group of Delaware student loan trusts rejecting their claims that they are just passive financing entities outside the reach of the Bureau’s authority.
Continue Reading Third Circuit Ruling Gives CFPB Green Light to Enforce Against Student Loan Trusts
On March 6, New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu signed into law SB 255, a sweeping consumer privacy bill. The Act gives consumers broad rights regarding their privacy and control over their personal data.
Continue Reading New Hampshire Enacts Comprehensive Consumer Privacy Law
In its latest campaign against “junk fees,” the CFPB announced that it was requesting consumer feedback on fees incurred as part of the residential home loan closing process, such as title insurance, credit reporting, and origination fees, as well as appraisal costs.
Continue Reading CFPB Renews Push on “Junk Fees” with Closing Costs in its Sights
On March 7, the FTC announced it had finalized substantial revisions to the Telemarketing Sales Rule (the proposed rule was discussed here). Since promulgated in 1995, the TSR has been amended four times, most recently in 2015. This latest revision to the TSR significantly expands its reach by bringing business to business (B2B) telemarketing calls within its scope. Moreover, the revisions substantially enhanced the TSR’s recordkeeping requirements which will likely have a major impact on telemarketers’ compliance efforts. Key revisions to the TSR include:
Continue Reading FTC Announces Major Expansion of Telemarketing Sales Rule
On March 1, the Louisiana Senate introduced SB 335, a bill that would place certain disclosure requirements on providers of commercial financing transactions. Specifically, “providers” (defined as persons who consummate more than five commercial financing transactions per year with businesses in Louisiana) would be required to disclose the following in connection with each commercial financing transaction they engage in:
Continue Reading Louisiana Becomes Latest State to Introduce Commercial Financing Disclosure Legislation