Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey issued on Tuesday the latest in a series of orders regarding debt collection in the face of the coronavirus (“COVID-19”) outbreak. The most recent guidance document is aimed at protecting the relief payments that many Americans expect to receive in coming weeks thanks to the Coronavirus Aid, Relief,
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
On April 13, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau announced a new interpretive rule that makes it possible for consumers to receive certain pandemic-relief payments through newly-issued prepaid accounts rather than paper checks. According to CFPB Director Kathleen Kraninger, the interpretive rule is designed to “ensure that consumers can receive these payments in a fast, secure,
Like most industries today, consumer finance services businesses are being significantly impacted COVID-19. Troutman Sanders and Pepper Hamilton have developed a dedicated COVID-19 Resource Center to guide clients through this unprecedented global health challenge. We regularly update this site with COVID-19 news and developments, recommendations from leading health organizations, and tools that businesses can use
A new bill was proposed on April 7 in the House of Representatives which, if passed, would amend the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act and the Fair Credit Reporting Act. The proposed bill aims to regulate how medical debts are handled under these statutes.
The bill’s current name is: “To amend the Fair Credit Reporting
Several coronavirus (“COVID-19”) response bills were introduced in the New Jersey Senate this past week. Among them is the “COVID-19 Financial Security for Consumers Act,” which aims to prohibit creditors and debt collectors from collection activities during the pandemic and requires health insurance carriers to cover treatment for COVID-19. A summary of the
On April 7, the Council for the District of Columbia unanimously passed the COVID-19 Response Supplemental Emergency Amendment Act of 2020 (“Emergency Act”) an emergency relief bill for D.C.’s residents and businesses. Title II of the Emergency Act, captioned “Business Development and Consumer Protection,” directly and dramatically affects consumer financial services operations. This legislation includes
The Department of Housing and Urban Development issued a Mortgagee Letter on April 1 with guidance spelling out how it will implement one of the key provisions of the CARES Act. The Mortgagee Letter spells out special loss mitigation options that mortgagees are required to offer to borrowers on any Federal Housing Administration Title II
On April 3, Maryland Governor Lawrence J. Hogan, Jr. issued “Executive Order No. 20-04-03-01, Amending and Restating the Order Dated March 16, 2020 Temporarily Prohibiting Evictions of Tenants Suffering Substantial Loss of Income Due to COVID-19, and Additionally Prohibiting Certain Repossessions, Stopping Initiation of Residential Mortgage Foreclosures, Prohibiting Commercial Evictions, and Allowing Suspension of Certain
On April 7, 2020, the Second Circuit added more uncertainty to the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (“TCPA”) with its decision on the meaning of an automatic telephone dialing system (“ATDS”) in Duran v. La Boom Disco, Inc. Breaking from recent Seventh and Eleventh Circuit decisions, which followed the statutory language in requiring random and