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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.

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

The Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit affirmed the dismissal of a Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (“FDCPA”) lawsuit finding Georgia’s six-month statute of limitations renewal statute did not apply to the FDCPA.

In Edwards v. Solomon & Solomon, Edwards filed a Complaint against Solomon and Solomon (“Solomon”), a third-party collection agency in

Multiple consumer advocacy groups are demanding the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (“CFPB”) rescind its April 1, 2020, credit reporting guidance regarding the investigation of error disputes vowed at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic.

In April, the CFPB said it would not hold companies to strict deadlines for investigating disputes that consumers have about information

Multiple states have come together to enact initiatives aimed at prohibiting private student loan servicers from certain activities that will remain in place during the coronavirus (“COVID-19”) pandemic. The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (“CARES Act”) did not address private student loans that are not federally-backed. Recently, New York worked out an agreement

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau issued a final Home Mortgage Disclosure Act (“HMDA”) rule amending Regulation C to adjust institutional and transactional coverage thresholds for closed-end mortgage loans and open-end lines of credit. The final rule permanently raised the threshold to report closed-end mortgage loans from 25 to 100 originated loans in the previous two

As New York considers reopening the State’s economy after a months-long shutdown, legislators recently reached an agreement with private student loan servicers to provide financial relief to borrowers. Spearheaded by the New York State Department of Financial Services (“DFS”), the agreement supplements the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (“CARES Act”), by extending