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Caleb Rosenberg

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Caleb is counsel in the firm’s Consumer Financial Services Practice Group. He focuses his practice on helping federal and state-chartered banks, fintech companies, finance companies, and licensed lenders navigate regulatory risks posed by state and federal laws aimed at protecting consumers and small businesses in the credit and alternative finance products industry.

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On December 12, Wisconsin legislators introduced Senate Bill 759 (SB 759), which would substantially shift Wisconsin’s approach to consumer lending. The bill would:

  • Impose a 36% annual percentage rate (APR) cap on consumer loans made by licensed lenders;
  • Adopt predominant economic interest and totality of the circumstances tests that expand which entities “make” loans under the law and are subject to licensing;
  • Add broad anti‑evasion language; and
  • Require new, detailed reporting from licensed lenders to the Division of Banking within the Department of Financial Institutions (DFI).

In two recent litigation status reports, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB or Bureau) indicated that it is working to issue interim final rules for both Section 1071 and Section 1033 in light of an opinion from the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Legal Counsel (OLC) concluding that the Bureau cannot lawfully draw funds from the Federal Reserve Board at this time. Specifically, as discussed here, the OLC concluded that the Federal Reserve System presently has no “combined earnings” from which the CFPB may lawfully draw funds under the Dodd‑Frank Act, and the CFPB has publicly stated it anticipates having sufficient funds to continue normal operations through at least December 31, 2025.

In this crossover episode of The Consumer Finance Podcast and Payments Pros, Jason Cover sits down with Brooke Conkle and Caleb Rosenberg to demystify the Federal Trade Commission’s Holder Rule and its day‑to‑day impact on point‑of‑sale (POS) finance programs. They explain why creditors and assignees inherit customers’ claims and defenses against merchants, what transactions are in scope and out of scope, how liability is generally capped at amounts paid (and why attorneys’ fees remain a live issue), and how merchant/vendor/dealer agreements can shift risk back to sellers. The conversation turns practical with a compliance toolkit: robust upfront diligence, continuous monitoring of merchant and consumer complaints (including requiring merchants to forward complaints), and a risk‑based response that separates meritless claims from those requiring redress. The panel also highlights enforcement and litigation trends and why, at 50 years old, the Holder Rule remains bedrock law that POS lenders cannot ignore, even as strong contracts and oversight materially mitigate exposure.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB or Bureau) has issued a new proposed rule that would substantially revise the 2023 small business lending data collection and reporting rule under the Equal Credit Opportunity Act (ECOA) and Regulation B, which implements Section 1071 of the Dodd-Frank Act. The proposal re-centers Section 1071 on “core” providers, products, and data, with a single compliance date and material carve-outs to reduce complexity and improve data quality. The proposal is open for comment for 30 days after publication in the Federal Register. However, just this week the CFPB filed a notice with the D.C. Circuit attaching a Department of Justice (DOJ) Office of Legal Counsel (OLC) opinion which concluded that the Bureau will only be legally funded through December 31, potentially affecting rulemaking and operations timelines.

On November 10, the Tenth Circuit reversed the district court’s preliminary injunction in the challenge to Colorado’s H.B. 23‑1229, holding that Colorado may enforce its Uniform Consumer Credit Code (UCCC) interest‑rate caps for loans to Colorado borrowers even when originated by out‑of‑state, state‑chartered banks. Interpreting the Depository Institutions Deregulation and Monetary Control Act (DIDMCA) § 525’s opt‑out phrase “loans made in such State,” the court concluded it encompasses loans in which either the lender or the borrower is located in the opt‑out state. Because Colorado has opted out, § 1831d no longer preempts Colorado rate caps for loans from out‑of‑state state banks to Colorado residents, and the preliminary injunction “falls apart.”

On October 10, California Governor Newsom signed Assembly Bill 483 (AB 483) into law, introducing new regulations on early termination fees in fixed term installment contracts. This legislation applies to contracts entered into or modified on or after August 1, 2026, and prohibits the use of termination fees unless specific conditions are met.

Last week, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California denied Empower Finance’s motion to compel arbitration in a class action lawsuit concerning its earned wage access (EWA) product, Cash Advance. In Vickery v. Empower Finance, Inc., the court found that Empower’s Cash Advance product was “credit” under the Military Lending Act (MLA) making Empower’s arbitration agreement unenforceable under the MLA, which prohibits arbitration agreements for consumer credit extended to active-duty service members and their dependents.

On August 15, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker approved Public Act 104-0383. This legislation, effective immediately, amends the Student Loan Servicing Rights Act and introduces Article 7, focusing on Educational Income Share Agreements (EISAs).

An initiative designed to add significant regulatory obligations to the home improvement and solar financing industries is progressing through the California legislature. Senate Bill 784 (SB 784) passed the California Senate last month and the California Assembly is quickly moving a slightly amended version of the bill through committees in July. If enacted, SB 784 would take effect on January 1, 2026.

In this special crossover edition of Payments Pros and The Consumer Finance Podcast, Carlin McCrory and Jason Cover are joined by their colleague Caleb Rosenberg to explore the evolving landscape of small business financing. They highlight the significant growth in diverse financing products and providers, which have expanded funding access for small businesses, particularly startups.