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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.

On December 6, during the 2022 Interagency Fair Lending Webinar, David Evans, a senior fair lending specialist with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), discussed some of the specific discrimination issues identified during FDIC examinations that were ultimately referred to the Department of Justice (DOJ) as potential fair lending violations. One area highlighted in the

As a further reflection of its recent emphasis on “repeat offenders,” on December 12, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) published a proposed rule with request for public comment that would require certain nonbank covered entities (with exclusions for insured depository institutions and credit unions) that are under certain final public orders issued by a

Please join Consumer Financial Services Partner Chris Willis and his colleagues Jeremy Rosenblum and Tony Kaye as they discuss the phenomenon of mass arbitrations, which pose increasing risk to the consumer finance industry. The partners use their knowledge to explain what mass arbitration is and describe prophylactic measures companies should take.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) issued a decision denying Nexo Financial, LLC’s petition to modify a civil investigation demand (CID) originally served on the company on December 1, 2021. At that time, Nexo Financial and its affiliates advertised a range of products, including interest-accruing accounts and lines of credit. In its petition, Nexo Financial

As discussed here, on November 18, the Biden administration filed an application with the U.S. Supreme Court to vacate the Eighth Circuit injunction temporarily pausing the administration’s student loan forgiveness program. In its application, the administration requested that the Court either vacate the injunction, or, in the alternative, to construe the application as a

As discussed here, last month, the Eighth Circuit granted an emergency motion by Republican officials in six states to temporarily pause the Biden administration’s student loan forgiveness program while they appeal the dismissal of their challenge by a Missouri federal judge, who found that they do not have standing to sue. On November 18

On November 18, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) published a blog post outlining its recent initiative to share consumer complaint data with cities and counties so they can, “increase their efforts to protect consumers at the local levels.”

According to the CFPB, one of the major ways it regulates consumer financial products and protects

On November 17, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) announced it is seeking public comment on its proposal to develop a new data set to better monitor the auto loan market. According to the CFPB, greater visibility into market trends would allow lenders and investors to spot emerging opportunities, improve risk management practices, and ultimately

Please join Consumer Financial Services Partner Chris Willis and his guest and colleague Tony Kaye as they discuss the recently enacted California Senate Bill 1311 or Military and Veteran Consumer Protection Act of 2022. Effective January 1, 2023, the new bill — drawn up by the California attorney general’s office — intends to enhance consumer protections for military service members, directly affecting the Military Lending Act’s exception for loans to purchase motor vehicles and other personal property.