According to a recent report by WebRecon, court filings under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) were way up for the month. On the other hand, Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) and Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) filings as well as complaints filed with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) were all down. Nonetheless, everything is still up YTD.
The Tenth Circuit has granted rehearing en banc in National Association of Industrial Bankers v. Weiser, vacating its November 10, 2025, panel decision that had allowed Colorado to apply its Uniform Consumer Credit Code (UCCC) interest-rate caps to loans made by out-of-state, state-chartered banks to Colorado borrowers. The court’s prior judgment is vacated, issuance of the mandate is stayed, and the case is reopened for en banc consideration. As a result, the panel opinion narrowing DIDMCA preemption no longer reflects the current state of the law in the Tenth Circuit, and the scope of Colorado’s opt-out authority is once again unsettled.
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has taken a highly visible step into the national debate over “debanking” by sending warning letters to several large payment networks and financial services providers, reminding them that deplatforming or denying customers access to financial products or services due to political or religious beliefs could violate their existing obligations under Section 5 of the FTC Act. The FTC’s letters signal a sharpened enforcement focus on how financial services firms manage account closures, suspensions, and access to services, particularly when political or religious views are implicated.
The Fourth Circuit has affirmed a preliminary injunction barring enforcement of West Virginia’s S.B. 325, which sought to restrict how drug manufacturers implement contract pharmacy policies under the federal 340B Drug Pricing Program. In a published decision, the court held that manufacturers are likely to succeed on their claim that S.B. 325 is preempted because it impermissibly rewrites the “bargain” Congress struck with manufacturers under its spending power and interferes with the Health and Human Services’ (HHS) exclusive enforcement role.
In this episode of Payments Pros, host Carlin McCrory teams up with Hiring to Firing hosts Tracey Diamond and Emily Schifter to explore the emerging world of earned wage access (EWA), or on-demand pay, through the lens of the reality TV show Shark Tank. They examine the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s evolving approach, rapidly developing (and sometimes conflicting) state laws, and the wage-and-hour and payroll challenges that can arise when employees access their pay early. The discussion also covers how EWA can serve as a powerful recruitment and retention tool, the risk that a well-intentioned benefit can be viewed as a “loan in sheep’s clothing,” and practical steps HR and in-house counsel can take when vetting vendors or considering in-house EWA programs. Tune in to decide whether EWA is the kind of pitch your HR “sharks” should back — or one that should prompt, “And for that reason, I’m out.”
In this episode of The Consumer Finance Podcast, Chris Willis is joined by Mark Furletti, James Stevens, and Taylor Gess to unpack the surge in bank charter applications from fintechs, crypto firms, and even traditional community banking entrepreneurs. The panel explores the appeal of national trust banks and industrial banks, as well as access to Fed payment rails and stablecoin issuance. They walk through the impacts of charter type, location, interest rate “exportation,” and preemption of state usury laws, including the nuanced role of branch-state activities. The conversation also offers a look at life inside the regulatory perimeter — exams, board oversight, and evolving supervisory focus — so nonbanks can realistically assess both the benefits and challenges of pursuing a bank charter in today’s regulatory environment.
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.
On March 30, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Employee Benefits Security Administration issued a landmark proposed rule that would “democratize”
In this episode of Moving the Metal: The Auto Finance Podcast, hosts Brooke Conkle and Chris Capurso break down two major developments turning up regulatory pressure on the auto finance industry. They unpack the FTC’s “WARNING LETTER” campaign targeting nearly 100 dealers, focused on UDAAP risks in pricing and advertising, including hidden fees, conditional pricing, mandatory add-ons, and unavailable vehicles. They also examine Senator Elizabeth Warren’s sweeping, short-fuse request for granular data comparing servicemember and civilian auto finance outcomes, signaling heightened bipartisan scrutiny of military borrowers. Tune in to hear what these letters really mean, what regulators are looking for, and how auto finance companies and dealers should be preparing now.
In a decision of first impression, the Supreme Court of Virginia in Garofalo v. Di Vincenzo, defined what “evident partiality” means under the Virginia Uniform Arbitration Act (VUAA). The court held that a party seeking to vacate an arbitration award must show that a reasonable person, knowing all relevant facts, would conclude the arbitrator’s conduct signifies obvious bias against that party. Applying this standard, the court affirmed confirmation of a FINRA arbitration award and declined to vacate based on an arbitrator’s undisclosed, attenuated prior connections to one side.
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.