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Chris Willis

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Chris is the co-leader of the Consumer Financial Services Regulatory practice at the firm. He advises financial services institutions facing state and federal government investigations and examinations, counseling them on compliance issues including UDAP/UDAAP, credit reporting, debt collection, and fair lending, and defending them in individual and class action lawsuits brought by consumers and enforcement actions brought by government agencies.

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On August 18, the American Financial Services Association, Consumer Bankers Association, CRE Finance Council, Equipment Leasing and Finance Association, Mortgage Bankers Association, National Association of Federally-Insured Credit Unions, Truck Renting and Leasing Association, and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce (collectively “the Trades”) sent a joint letter to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB or Bureau) urging it to stay enforcement and implementation of the small business data collection and reporting final rule under § 1071 of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (Final Rule) for all covered financial institutions to correct the current disparity between those institutions covered by the Texas Bankers Association et al v. CFPB injunction and those that are not covered.

On August 22, a district court judge in the Western District of New York denied the defendants’ motions to dismiss a case brought by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) alleging violations of the Fair Debt Collections Practices Act (FDCPA) and Consumer Financial Protection Act (CFPA).

Please join Troutman Pepper Partner Chris Willis and his colleagues Lori Sommerfield and Joe Reilly for an important update on the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s (CFPB) new small business lending data collection and reporting final rule — the Section 1071 Final Rule. On July 31, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas issued a preliminary injunction enjoining the CFPB from implementing and enforcing the Final Rule against members of the American Bankers Association, Texas Bankers Association, and a Texas bank. Chris, Lori, and Joe discuss who benefits from the injunction and what it means for those who do not, advocacy efforts by other financial institution trade groups to level the playing field, the impact on small business borrowers, when we can expect a resolution, and until then, how small business lenders should move forward.

On August 28, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced its eighth redlining settlement under its Combatting Redlining Initiative. The settlement between the DOJ and the American Bank of Oklahoma, which originated from a referral by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), aims to resolve allegations that the bank engaged in a pattern or practice of lending discrimination by redlining historically Black neighborhoods in the Tulsa, Oklahoma Metropolitan Statistical Area (Tulsa MSA). Under the terms of the proposed consent order, American Bank of Oklahoma will pay more than $1.15 million to resolve the allegations that it engaged in a “pattern or practice” of redlining in violation of the Fair Housing Act and the Equal Credit Opportunity Act.

Corporate theft can happen in any workplace, but in the world of financial services, the theft can also create regulatory and litigation exposure for financial institutions. What type of employee is most likely to steal from the company or its customers? What can companies do to combat this? Partners Tracey Diamond and Evan Gibbs chatted with Troutman Pepper Partner Chris Willis about the popular movie Office Space, employee misconduct, and creative uses of technology to protect against corporate theft.

At a White House Roundtable on protecting Americans from allegedly harmful “data broker” practices, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB or Bureau) Director Rohit Chopra announced the Bureau’s intention to expand the reach of the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) to data brokers. He stated, “Next month, the CFPB will publish an outline of proposals and alternatives under consideration for a proposed rule. We’ll soon hear from small businesses, which will help us craft the rule.”

On August 10, two credit union trade associations — Credit Union National Association (CUNA) and Cornerstone Credit Union League — and Rally Credit Union (collectively, Proposed Intervenors) filed an Unopposed Emergency Motion for Leave to Intervene, arguing that they will suffer irreparable harm if the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB or Bureau) is not enjoined from enforcing the small business data collection and reporting final rule under § 1071 of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (Final Rule) against them. This filing comes just three days after CUNA and the National Association of Federally-Insured Credit Unions (NAFCU) sent a joint letter to the CFPB urging it to stay enforcement and implementation of the Final Rule for all covered financial institutions until after the U.S. Supreme Court’s final decision in Community Financial Services Association (CFSA) v. CFPB (discussed here).

On August 8, bankers associations from all 50 states sent a joint letter to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB or Bureau) urging it to stay enforcement and implementation of the small business data collection and reporting final rule under § 1071 of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (Final Rule) for all covered financial institutions until after the U.S. Supreme Court’s final decision in Community Financial Services Association (CFSA) v. CFPB. The banking trade groups argued that relief should be provided to banks nationwide to “be prudent and ameliorate confusion.”