To help you keep abreast of relevant activities, below find a breakdown of some of the biggest events at the federal and state levels to impact the Consumer Finance Services industry this past week:
On January 1, 2023, House Bill 132 went into effect enacting a 36% annual percentage rate (APR) cap on loans up to $10,000 made under the New Mexico Bank Installment Loan Act of 1959 and the New Mexico Small Loan Act (SLA). The bill also expanded the SLA anti-evasion provision to closely track those provisions
As previously reported here, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) issued a proposed rule in December 2020 that would place new call-frequency limitations and opt-out requirements on certain prerecorded non-telemarketing calls to residential numbers that can be called without prior consent under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA). The TCPA has long allowed unlimited prerecorded
Do “negative option” subscription services constitute unfair or deceptive practices under the Consumer Financial Protection Act (CFPA)? According to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) in its recent circular, these subscription services may violate the CFPA when a seller: 1) misrepresents or fails to clearly disclose the material terms of the program; (2) fails
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has released guidance to its attorneys regarding requests to discharge student loans in bankruptcy cases. The 16-page memorandum developed in coordination with the Department of Education (DOE) advises DOJ attorneys to “recommend to the court that a debtor’s student loan be discharged if three conditions are satisfied: (1) the
A recent opinion issued by the district court for the Middle District of Florida rejected a credit union’s attempt to dismiss claims under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) and Electronic Funds Transfer Act (EFTA) arising out of the alleged mishandling of a disputed charge and subsequent reporting to credit reporting agencies (CRAs), finding the
Creditors and debt collectors may rest assured that they are not violating the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) when sending debt-collection communications prior to any knowledge of a debtor’s bankruptcy filing. In Carrasquillo v. CICA Collection Agency, Inc., the district court for the District of Puerto Rico relied on a Third Circuit
Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich released opinion No. 22-(R22-011), concluding earned wage access (EWA) products that are fully non-recourse and no-interest are not “consumer lender loans” under Arizona law. Thus, those who make, procure, or advertise EWA products are not required to be licensed as a “consumer lender” by Arizona’s Department of Insurance and Financial Institutions. The AG’s findings apply to EWA providers working with an employer as well as those working directly with an employee.
May a debt collector incur liability under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) by seeking to collect a debt under a state court judgment later determined to be void? Not according to the Third Circuit Court of Appeals in a nine-page opinion issued on January 11, 2023 in the case of Barbara Lowe v.
Please join Troutman Pepper Partner Chris Willis for this solo episode as he reviews the settlement between the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and Meta Platforms, Inc. related to online targeted advertising.