As discussed here, on April 7, the Washington State legislature passed HB 1051, also known as the Robocall Scam Protection Act, expanding the scope of existing provisions of Washington’s consumer protection laws regulating robocalls and telephone solicitations to prohibit abusive telephone communication practices. On April 20, Governor Inslee signed the bill into law. It
On April 26, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB or Bureau) issued an advisory opinion reminding the industry that a debt collector who brings or threatens to bring a foreclosure action to collect a time-barred mortgage debt may violate the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA). According to the CFPB, the impetus for issuing the
On April 26, the Texas Bankers Association and Rio Bank, McAllen, Texas filed a complaint in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas challenging the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s (CFPB or Bureau) final rule under § 1071 of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (Final Rule). As discussed here, § 1071 amended the Equal Credit Opportunity Act (ECOA) to impose significant data collection and reporting requirements on small business creditors. The plaintiffs rely heavily on the Fifth Circuit’s decision in Community Financial Services Association (CFSA) v CFPB, finding the CFPB’s funding structure unconstitutional and, therefore, rules promulgated by the Bureau invalid. The plaintiffs also argue portions of the Final Rule violate various requirements of the Administrative Procedure Act (APA).
On April 25, officials from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), and the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) (together, the Agencies) issued a joint statement warning against the potential for automated systems, including artificial intelligence (AI), used in
In 1980, Congress enacted the Depository Institutions Deregulation and Monetary Control Act (DIDMCA). Sections 521-523 of DIDMCA empower state banks, insured state and federal savings associations and state credit unions to charge the interest allowed by the state where they are located, regardless of where the borrower is located and regardless of conflicting state law
On April 17, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB or Bureau) released a new blog post, highlighting its current efforts in the credit card market. According to the post, interest rates on credit cards have risen substantially, with average rates over 20%. Implying that high interest rates are solely a result of lack of
At a U.S. Justice Department (DOJ) interagency event in Newark, New Jersey, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB or Bureau) Director Rohit Chopra announced the next phase in the Bureau’s attempt to eliminate what he referred to as modern-day redlining: discriminatory targeting also known as reverse redlining. Since October 2021, the CFPB and DOJ have jointly
On April 17, the Superintendent of the New York Department of Financial Services (NYDFS), Adrienne A. Harris, announced that the NYDFS adopted a final regulation establishing how companies with NYDFS-issued BitLicenses will be assessed for costs of their supervision examination.
During the public comment period for the proposed regulation, the NYDFS received four comments, but
Earlier this month, a district court for the Eastern District of Michigan dismissed on its own initiative a Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) claim brought by a consumer alleging inaccurate reporting of her charged-off vehicle loan. The court’s opinion in Shelton v. Americredit Financial Services, Inc. provides a nuts-and-bolts analysis of what does not constitute inaccurate credit reporting for purposes of the FCRA.