On May 16, the Illinois legislature passed Senate Bill (SB) 2933. The bill amends the Illinois Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Practices Act making it unlawful for a consumer reporting agency (CRA) to create a consumer report containing any adverse information that the CRA knows or should know relates to medical debt incurred by the consumer or a collection action against the consumer to collect medical debt. The bill would also make it unlawful for a CRA to maintain a file on any consumer containing information relating to medical debt. The bill is currently awaiting Governor Pritzker’s signature.

In this episode of The Consumer Finance Podcast, Chris Willis is joined by Sheri Adler to discuss the implications of the upcoming change in securities law that shortens the settlement period for broker-dealer transactions from T+2 (two business days after the trade date) to T+1 (one business day after the trade date). This change, effective May 28, 2024, has significant implications for employers who offer equity-based compensation to their employees. Adler provides an overview of the history of the settlement cycle, the reasons behind the shift to T+1, and the impact on tax withholding obligations for equity awards. She also offers practical advice for companies to prepare for this change, including potential adjustments to the calculation of fair market value for withholding purposes.

Yesterday, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB or Bureau) issued an “interpretive rule,” subjecting “Buy Now, Pay Later” (BNPL) transactions to provisions of Regulation Z applicable to “credit cards.” Among other things, this classification would require BNPL and other lenders to extend many of the same legal protections and rights to consumers that apply to traditional credit cards, including the rights to dispute charges and demand refunds for returned products, and, potentially, receive periodic statements. The Bureau claims its authority to issue this interpretive rule — in lieu of a formal rulemaking — stems from the Truth in Lending Act (TILA) and Regulation Z, and its general authority to issue guidance as set forth in § 1022(b)(1) of the Consumer Financial Protection Act of 2010.

In this episode of Payments Pros, Josh McBeain and Chris Willis discuss the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s (CFPB) proposed rule on overdraft fees. The rule, which only applies to large financial institutions with assets over $10 billion, aims to regulate overdraft services by altering the definition of ‘finance charge,’ effectively subjecting these institutions to Regulation Z’s disclosure and substantive provisions. Chris and Josh delve into the complexities of the proposed rule, considering its potential implications and the likelihood of litigation challenges from the industry. They also discuss the role of the Truth in Lending Act (TILA) and the concept of Chevron deference in this context.

Kansas Governor Laura Kelly signed House Bill (HB) 2247 into law, bringing significant changes to the Kansas Mortgage Business Act and the Uniform Consumer Credit Code (UCCC). The changes brought about by HB 2247 will largely become effective on January 1, 2025. However, those changes standardizing threshold amounts consistent with federal law will become effective on July 1, 2024.

Troutman Pepper attorneys Brooke Conkle and Chris Capurso discuss the Federal Trade Commission’s “Holder Rule” in the third of five special episodes devoted to auto finance issues. Although the Holder Rule has been around since the 1970s and is a staple of consumer finance contracts, there have been several recent, important developments. Brooke and Chris hop behind the wheel of this installment to review these developments, the position taken by the FTC and courts, and the potential impacts to dealers and finance companies.

Last week, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB or Bureau) filed a complaint against SoLo Funds, Inc., a fintech company operating a small-dollar, short-term lending platform. The CFPB alleges that SoLo Funds engaged in deceptive practices related to the total cost of loans, servicing, and collection of void and uncollectible loans in violation of the Consumer Financial Protection Act (CFPA) and engaged in providing consumer reports governed by the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) but failed to ensure the maximum possible accuracy of those consumer reports.