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Joseph DeFazio has extensive experience as a trial and appellate litigator in federal and state courts. He represents and advises a wide array of financial services companies in matters related to consumer protection laws and regulations.

On February 14, 2023, the New York Court of Appeals overturned the Appellate Division, Second Department’s Kessler decision, which had applied a strict application of Real Property Actions and Proceedings Law § 1304, also known as a 90-day notice. In 2017, the Lender moved for summary judgment against Mr. Kessler on its foreclosure complaint. Mr.

On December 30, 2022, New York Governor Kathy Hochul signed the Foreclosure Abuse Prevention Act (FAPA) into law. The legislation remained unchanged from its passing back in May 2022 despite many industry experts expecting Governor Hochul to amend certain portions, including its retroactive effect. The FAPA, however, which takes effect immediately, applies retroactively and effectively

On June 8, the New York State Department of Financial Services (NYDFS) issued new “Guidance on the Issuance of U.S. Dollar-Backed Stablecoins,” establishing a first-of-its-kind state standards for USD-backed stablecoins issued by entities subject to regulation by the NYDFS. Informal policies have been in place since 2018, but NYDFS Superintendent Adrienne A. Harris

The New York State Department of Financial Services (NYDFS) recently issued guidance on the use of blockchain analytics for all virtual currency businesses that either have a BitLicense or are chartered as limited purpose trust companies under the New York Banking Law (VC Entities), emphasizing “the importance of blockchain analytics to effective policies, processes, and

On May 3, the New York State Senate passed S5473D (Bill), which will apply immediately in all actions “in which a final judgment of foreclosure and sale has not been enforced.” (See S5473D at Section 10.) This means that the new law applies retroactively, affecting future foreclosure actions and existing foreclosures, including those in

2021 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 curve.

In this report, we share developments on auto finance, background screening, bankruptcy, consumer class actions, consumer

On July 15, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit ruled that private student loans are not explicitly exempt from a debtor’s Chapter 7 bankruptcy discharge.

In Homadian, the borrower, after graduating from Emerson College, filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in 2007 and obtained a discharge in 2009. The discharge order did

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,

Recently, the New York Court of Appeals issued decisions in four cases related to applying the statute of limitations to foreclose on a mortgage in New York. Most notably, in Freedom Mortgage Corporation v. Engel, the Court of Appeals established a bright-line rule that when the acceleration of a mortgage debt occurs by filing a

We reported in September of this year on a demand from multiple consumer advocacy groups to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (“CFPB”) to rescind its April 1, 2020, credit report guidance that relaxed the Fair Credit Reporting Act’s (“FCRA”) deadlines to investigate consumer-initiated direct disputes. In a letter dated November 9, 2020, CFPB Director Kathleen