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Ethan’s practice focuses on financial services litigation and compliance counseling, as well as digital assets and blockchain technology. With a long track record of successful litigation results across the U.S., both bank and non-bank clients rely on him for comprehensive advice throughout their business cycle.

To keep you informed of recent activities, below are several of the most significant federal events that have influenced the Consumer Financial Services industry over the past week.

Federal Activities

State Activities


Federal Activities:

On July 2, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System

On July 1, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) published a proposed policy statement addressing whether AI companies that steer their systems’ outputs toward undisclosed ideological objectives, rather than toward the objectives that consumers request or reasonably expect, may be engaging in deceptive acts or practices in violation of § 5 of the FTC Act. The public comment period closes July 31, 2026.

The Consumer Data Industry Association (CDIA) and the Metro 2 Task Force announced that they have approved a new Special Comment Code, DS — Debt Settlement, in response to industry requests for clearer identification of consumer debt settlement activity in credit reporting. An implementation date has not yet been established, but CDIA anticipates that furnishers will be able to begin reporting the DS code in Q2 2027.

The New York City Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (DCWP) recently published new compliance resources for its amended debt collection regulations, known as the SHIELD Rule, which are scheduled to take effect on September 1, 2026.