August 2021

In Blackmon v. Ad Astra Recovery Services, an individual claiming to be Brittney Blackmon obtained a payday loan in her name and then never made a payment. The debt was subsequently assigned to defendant collection firm Ad Astra Recovery Services, Inc. (AARC). Years later, Blackmon contacted AARC by telephone to dispute the debt. Blackmon

Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act (CDA) provides federal immunity to website platforms from claims based on third-party content hosted on the website. 47 U.S.C. § 230(c)(1). Specifically, the statute provides that the provider of an “interactive computer service” cannot be treated as the publisher or speaker of information provided by “another information content

On June 17, the president signed legislation designating “Juneteenth National Independence Day, June 19” as a federal holiday. Because the legislation took effect immediately, it raised compliance questions for residential mortgage lenders, which must take federal holidays into account when calculating waiting periods for rescissions of closed-end loans under the Truth in Lending Act (TILA)

On July 1, the Maryland Court of Special Appeals affirmed in part a trial court’s dismissal of claims brought under Maryland’s Credit Grantor Closed End Credit Provisions (CLEC) due to the plaintiff’s lack of damages. Specifically, the court ruled that a plaintiff could, in theory, state a CLEC claim without having paid more than the

Like most industries today, Consumer Finance Services businesses are being significantly impacted by the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). Troutman Pepper has developed a dedicated COVID-19 Resource Center to guide clients through this unprecedented global health challenge. We regularly update this site with COVID-19 news and developments, recommendations from leading health organizations, and tools that businesses can

On October 30, 2020, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB or the Bureau) released its long-awaited final debt collection rule — also known as Regulation F. The Bureau supplemented the rule on December 18, 2020 and both parts were adopted pursuant to the Bureau’s authority under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA).

On April

Like most industries today, Consumer Finance Services businesses are being significantly impacted by the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). Troutman Pepper has developed a dedicated COVID-19 Resource Center to guide clients through this unprecedented global health challenge. We regularly update this site with COVID-19 news and developments, recommendations from leading health organizations, and tools that businesses can

Last month, we discussed ways lawmakers aim to limit ransomware response options that businesses may consider during an incident. State legislatures, such as New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Texas, have introduced bills that would prohibit certain entities from paying a ransom in the event of an attack. On July 27, Bryan Vorndran, assistant director

On July 22, U.S. District Judge Allyne Ross awarded summary judgment to a plaintiff who brought suit under the Fair Debt Collections Practices Act (FDCPA). The victory, however, could be Pyrrhic. Over the course of 20 months of litigation, what began as a five-count purported class action was whittled down to one individual claim that