On August 7, the U.S. Department of Treasury hosted a virtual briefing to discuss the steps that the Biden-Harris administration is taking to address perceived unfair and deceptive practices in the consumer solar energy industry. Deputy Secretary of Treasury Wally Adeyemo, along with Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Chair Lina Khan and Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) Director Rohit Chopra, announced a new interagency consumer solar industry initiative directed at both sales and financing of residential systems. Each made statements about the unique effort to root out anti-competitive and sometimes-fraudulent activity by a handful of “bad actors” who are taking advantage of the burgeoning industry. The presenters also noted that they will be coordinating with state attorneys general (AG) and state financial regulators.
Amy Pritchard Williams
Amy has deep and wide-ranging experience in representing financial institutions in government enforcement matters, qui tam False Claims Act cases, consumer class actions and bankruptcy proceedings. She is adept in defending and providing pragmatic advice for the successful resolution of complex, multifaceted matters.
National Bank Preemption of State Law Following Cantero
On May 30, the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously decided Cantero, reaffirming and elaborating on the Barnett Bank preemption standard, and remanding the case to the Second Circuit for further proceedings. Cantero addressed whether a New York law requiring the payment of at least 2% per annum interest on mortgage escrow deposits was preempted by federal law as to national banks. The Supreme Court held that the Second Circuit erred when it failed to apply the preemption standard articulated in Barnett Bank of Marion County, N.A. v. Nelson, which was incorporated by Congress into the Dodd-Frank Act. The Court rejected the lower court’s holding “that federal law preempts any state law that ‘purports to exercise control over a federally granted banking power,’ regardless of ‘the magnitude of its effects.’” The Court also rejected the approach argued by the petitioners, explaining it would “yank the preemption standard to the opposite extreme, and would preempt virtually no non-discriminatory state laws that apply to both state and national banks.”
Updates to TILA Interagency Guidance and Certain Annual Thresholds
Two important updates impacting compliance with the Truth in Lending Act (TILA) and Reg Z have just been announced.
The TILA Examination Procedures have been revised and updated to reflect four final rules that amend the qualified mortgage (QM) provisions of Regulation Z. The rules in question were issued by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau…
Complimentary Webinar: Class Action Litigation Review
Join us on Tuesday, April 27 as a panel of Troutman Pepper class action litigators examine recent developments in class action litigation in 2021 and provide insights on what the future holds. The panel will dive into the major decisions that were rendered this past year and explore ways for class action practitioners and in-house…
New York Receives $105 Million in Tax Revenue and Damages Under False Claims Statute, While Other States Take Steps to Remove Their Tax Bar
In early March, New York State Attorney General Letitia James and New York City Corporation Counsel John E. Johnson announced a $105 million settlement against a hedge fund manager for tax evasion. The New York authorities were alerted to the potential of fraud in October 2018 by a whistleblower lawsuit brought under New York’s False…
2020 Consumer Financial Services Year in Review & A Look Ahead
2020 was a transformative year for the consumer financial services world. As we navigate an unprecedented volume of industry regulation, Troutman Pepper is uniquely positioned to help its clients find successful resolutions and stay ahead of the compliance curve.
In this report, we share developments in 2020 on consumer class actions, background screening, bankruptcy,…
Complimentary Webinar Invitation: Paycheck Protection Program Webinar – How Lenders Can Defend Against Claims in PPP Litigation
Speakers:
James Stevens, Partner, Troutman Sanders
Richard Eckman, Of Counsel, Pepper Hamilton
Amy Williams, Partner, Troutman Sanders
Maryia Jones, Associate, Troutman Sanders
Richard Zack, Partner, Pepper Hamilton
Callan Stein, Partner, Pepper Hamilton
Join Troutman Sanders and Pepper Hamilton for a webinar on Friday, May 8, 2020 at 1:00 p.m. EDT…
To Serve and Be Served: Service of Process Issues in Light of COVID-19
As the coronavirus (“COVID-19”) crisis continues to lead the legal profession into uncharted waters, one issue remains less than clear: how service of process will be affected for both the parties who are being served, and the parties who are serving. There is no question that service of process is more difficult given the number…
2019 Consumer Financial Services Year in Review & A Look Ahead
2019 was a transformative year for the consumer financial services world. As we navigate an unprecedented volume of industry regulation, Troutman Sanders is uniquely positioned to help its clients find successful resolutions and stay ahead of the compliance curve.
In this report, we share developments on consumer class actions, background screening, bankruptcy, consumer credit…
FCA Whistleblowers Not Guaranteed Hearing When Government Seeks Dismissal in Third Circuit
On September 12, the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, in a precedential ruling, held that courts are not required to hold an in-person hearing prior to granting a government’s request to dismiss a qui tam whistleblower’s federal False Claims Act (“FCA”) or Delaware False Claims Act (“DFCA”) suit. However, the Court…