In this crossover episode of Payments Pros and Regulatory Oversight, Stephen Piepgrass and Keith Barnett provide an update on the fast-developing prediction markets landscape. They discuss how federal and state regulators are responding to the growth of event contracts and the legal questions surrounding this emerging market. The conversation highlights the CFTC’s continued focus on oversight, market integrity, and the need for platforms to maintain strong controls to detect and prevent manipulation or other improper trading activity.

On June 2, Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry signed SB 254 into law as Act 751, prohibiting retail businesses from imposing surcharges on customers who pay with a debit card. The law takes effect August 1, 2026.

In this episode of Moving the Metal: The Auto Finance Podcast, hosts Brooke Conkle and Chris Capurso break down a New Jersey enforcement action against a dealer group that began with a 2018 consent order and escalated into a 2023 complaint packed with Consumer Fraud Act allegations — from gray market disclosures and duplicative add-ons to odometer violations and improper warranty sales. The trial court initially imposed over $10 million in penalties before two rounds of reconsideration brought the final figure down to $155,000, offering a striking look at how courts balance deterrence, proportionality, and ability to pay. Tune in for a practical breakdown of what this case means for dealers navigating compliance in an era where state enforcement is quickly becoming the front line.

Virginia is implementing a new Business Screening Services (BSS) program that will significantly change how private background screening companies handle Virginia criminal and traffic history records.

On April 8, Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger signed HB 444, the Uniform Consumer Debt Default Judgments Act, into law. The Act establishes pleading and notice requirements in certain consumer debt collection actions that must be met for a creditor to obtain a default judgment against a consumer. This Act is based on a model drafted by the Uniform Law Commission, similar versions of which have been enacted in Washington and introduced in Pennsylvania. HB 444 will take effect on July 1, 2027.

On June 10, President Trump sent to the Senate his nomination of Brian Johnson to serve as Director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB or Bureau) for a five-year term.The CFPB has been without a confirmed, full-time director since former Director Rohit Chopra was fired on February 1, 2025 (discussed here).

In this kickoff episode of a special series on servicemember protections for The Consumer Finance Podcast, Chris Willis is joined by colleagues Taylor Gess and Jeremy Sairsingh to unpack the fundamentals of the Military Lending Act (MLA) and the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA) — two laws that remain top enforcement priorities for federal regulators. They explain how these laws are rooted in military readiness and national security, and why that history matters for how regulators, courts, and the Department of Justice view compliance in the consumer credit space today.

Federal regulators recently took two coordinated steps that significantly shift expectations for how lenders and banks treat non‑work authorized individuals and their employers. On June 5, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB or Bureau) issued a formal statement on how immigration status should factor into ability‑to‑repay determinations under the Truth in Lending Act (TILA) and Regulation Z. On the same day, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN), jointly with the federal banking agencies and in coordination with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), released a detailed advisory on fraud, payroll schemes, and money laundering risks associated with the unlawful employment of non-work authorized persons, including specific guidance regarding the use of Individual Taxpayer Identification Numbers (ITINs) and Suspicious Activity Reports (SARs).