On April 25, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau held its Spring 2017 Community Bank Advisory Council meeting in Washington.  The purpose of the meeting was to allow representatives from community banks an opportunity to provide additional input on the Bureau’s Request for Information (“RFI”) on the use of alternative data to assess creditworthiness of consumers

Senate Bill No. 563 amends several provisions of the West Virginia Consumer Credit Protection Act (WVCCPA). The Bill passed the West Virginia Senate and the House of Delegates with high approval margins, and was signed into law by Governor Jim Justice on April 21, 2017. These amendments to the WVCCPA will have an impact on

On March 27, the Office of Administrative Law for the State of California announced new regulations that even further limit employers’ ability to consider a job applicant’s criminal history when making hiring decisions.

Except if otherwise permitted by law, employers are prohibited from taking into consideration during the hiring process a number of enumerated offenses,

Lawsuits under the Fair Credit Reporting Act resulting from allegedly inaccurate background checks do not appear to be going away.  Just last week, plaintiff Michelle Petry filed a class action against IDE Management d/b/a Cathedral Health Care Centers, in the Southern District of Indiana, claiming that she was denied a job as a

On April 18, the United States Supreme Court heard long-awaited oral arguments in a case that addresses the fundamental issue of the definition of a “debt collector” under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act.  The Supreme Court’s decision will resolve an existing Circuit split on whether an entity that purchases defaulted debts and then attempts

The North Carolina House of Representatives recently voted 98-14 to “ban the box” for state agency hiring.  The bill would not apply to private employers or to state positions that “involve direct interaction with minors or the elderly.”  

House Bill 409 would prevent state agencies from inquiring into an employment applicant’s criminal history at

On April 17, the Eastern District of Virginia dismissed sua sponte a suit against a collection agency alleging that the debt collector failed to properly update the plaintiff consumer’s credit report, thereby violating the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act.  Relying on the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in

The United States Supreme Court recently heard oral argument in the case of Microsoft Corp. v. Baker, where the Court is set to determine whether a plaintiff can tactically circumvent Rule 23(f) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. 

Rule 23(f) provides for an interlocutory appeal of a district court’s denial of class

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is continuing its pursuit of thirdparty collection law firms it believes misrepresent to consumers the level of attorney involvement in their collection practices.

On April 17, the CFPB filed suit in the Northern District of Ohio against Weltman, Weinberg & Reis Co., L.P.A., for allegedly misrepresenting in millions