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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.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) and SettleIt, Inc., an online debt-settlement company, have agreed to settle “abusiveness” claims for $1.4 million.

In an April 13 complaint filed in a California federal court, the CFPB detailed SettleIt’s business practices and alleged SettleIt concealed information from its customers. SettleIt negotiates with creditors to reduce and settle

Beam Financial, Inc. (Beam), a mobile banking app, will be banned from offering any service that may be used to deposit, store, or withdraw funds, and must give a full refund to users as part of a settlement with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). It also is prohibited from misrepresenting the interest rates, restrictions, and

On March 25, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC or Commission) released an article reflecting on its work in 2020. The following are some of the most notable actions of the FTC in 2020:

  • The Commission launched a new website, where consumers can report scams and frauds.
  • A new initiative, called the Community Advocate Center,

On March 22, President Joe Biden announced his intent to nominate Lina Khan to be a commissioner of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). Khan is an outspoken critic of big tech and a former legal advisor to FTC Commissioner Rohit Chopra, Biden’s nominee to lead the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). Khan’s anticipated nomination again

On March 3, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) filed a complaint in the Northern District of Illinois against a third-party payment processor, BrightSpeed Solutions, Inc., and its founder and former CEO Kevin Howard. The CFPB’s complaint alleges that the defendants violated the Consumer Financial Protection Act (CFPA) and the Telemarketing and Consumer Fraud and

On March 18, Opportunity Financial, Inc. (OppFi) — a Chicago-based platform lender — announced that the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) is investigating its compliance with the Military Lending Act. The announcement — coupled with several others like it in recent months — confirms that the CFPB is closely monitoring fintechs.

OppFi is a consumer

On March 11, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) announced that it is rescinding a January 2020 policy statement that limited the “abusive acts and practices” standard created by the 2010 Dodd-Frank Act. By rescinding the policy statement, the CFPB — under the direction of Acting Director Dave Uejio — signals a return to the

At the Nationwide Multistate Licensing System (NMLS) Annual Conference, state financial regulators released an updated cybersecurity examination tool for nonbank financial company supervision. The tool is designed for state regulators to use in examinations, but “companies are encouraged to use it to assess their cybersecurity health between examinations.”

State regulators are continuing to find new

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,

In a recently filed Form 10-K, PayPal Holdings, Inc. (PayPal) announced that it received a Civil Investigative Demand (CID) from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) on January 21 “related to Venmo’s unauthorized funds transfers and collections processes, and related matters.” PayPal owns and operates Venmo as part of its digital wallet portfolio.

While