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Keith J. Barnett

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Keith’s experience representing clients in the financial services industry as a litigation, compliance, regulatory, investigations (internal and regulatory), and enforcement attorney spans 20 years. Keith represents clients against government regulators (CFPB, FTC, SEC, CFTC), industry regulators (FINRA), and private litigants in federal courts, state courts, and before arbitration and administrative law panels in the financial services industry.

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On April 7, DailyPay, LLC, an employer-integrated earned wage access (EWA) provider, filed a lawsuit against New York Attorney General Letitia James, seeking declaratory relief to prevent the enforcement of state and federal laws that the company argues do not apply to its business model. The case, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, centers on the classification of DailyPay’s on-demand pay (ODP) product, which allows workers to access their earned wages before the traditional payday.

In the latest episode of Payments Pros, hosts Keith Barnett and Carlin McCrory discuss the latest FinCEN and OFAC guidance on virtual currency transactions, specifically tailored for companies in the payments industry. They explore when businesses need to register as money services businesses (MSBs) under federal law and discuss the roles of users, exchangers, and administrators of virtual currencies. Carlin provides a detailed look at the regulatory requirements for both centralized and decentralized virtual currencies.

On January 14, Patriot Bank, N.A. entered into an agreement with the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) to address and rectify several unsafe or unsound practices and violations of law. This agreement follows the bank’s reported loss of nearly $27 million for the quarter ending September 30, 2024.

In the final installment of the four-part “Payments Year in Review” series, hosts Keith Barnett and Carlin McCrory discuss significant enforcement actions and regulatory trends. The discussion begins with the increased scrutiny from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) and Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) on bank and nonbank partnerships, emphasizing sound risk management and compliance. Key themes include third-party risk management, board governance, Bank Secrecy Act/Anti-Money Laundering compliance, and liquidity risk. The episode also addresses the proposed FDIC deposit insurance record-keeping rule.

In a recent letter to Andrea Gacki, Director of the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN), Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) Acting Chairman Travis Hill expressed his support for updating the Customer Identification Program (CIP) requirements to better align with modern financial services practices. This initiative is part of Hill’s broader commitment to regulatory reform and innovation, as outlined in his recent policy statements.

On January 15, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB or Bureau) issued a Compliance Aid to clarify the requirements under the Electronic Fund Transfer Act (EFTA) and Regulation E. Electronic Fund Transfers (EFTs) are defined as “any transfer of funds that is initiated through an electronic terminal, telephone, computer, or magnetic tape for the purpose of ordering, instructing, or authorizing a financial institution to debit or credit a consumer’s account.” The Compliance Aid, presented in a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) format, addresses various aspects of EFTs, including coverage, financial institutions’ obligations, and error resolution processes.

As part of a flurry of last minute regulatory activity by the Biden administration’s Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB or Bureau), on January 15, the CFPB published an advisory opinion in the Federal Register rescinding a previous advisory opinion which the Bureau issued during the first Trump administration in November 2020. The 2020 advisory opinion had described how a specific type of “earned wage” product did not constitute the offering or extension of “credit” under the Truth in Lending Act (TILA) and Regulation Z. The new advisory opinion is effective immediately.