Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB)

On November 20, the CFPB once again released its latest rulemaking agenda update.  The previous update, issued last May, extended debt collection rulemaking pre-rule activities from April 2015 until December 2015.  This latest update extends debt collection pre-rule activities scheduled through February 2016. 

In extending the pre-rulemaking period, the CFPB stated as follows: 

The

On November 18, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau filed an administrative action against online lender Integrity Advance, LLC, and its CEO, James R. Carnes, for deceiving consumers about the cost of short-term loans.  

According to a press release, the CFPB alleges that Integrity Advance violated the Truth in Lending Act and the

According to the October debt collection litigation and complaint statistics report from WebRecon, consumer litigation in October under the FDCPA, TCPA, and FCRA marked the first time since September 2011 that an increase from both the prior month and year-to-date occurred.  “For the first time in several years, overall consumer litigation is up dramatically,”

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s latest monthly report revealed that credit card complaints represent approximately 11% of total product complaints from consumers.  Late fees and credit report problems due to confusing payment processing schedules are the most frequent complaint topics for consumers.  Other problems identified by consumers include:

  • Billing issues related to surprise late fees

On November 3, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau announced that it has revised its appeals process and issued a new appeals policy.  The announcement was made in conjunction with the release of the CFPB’s Fall 2015 Supervisory Highlights.  According to the Bureau, the “revisions reflect experience gained in the appeals process so far, and

On October 29, 2015, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (“CFPB”) announced the settlement of an enforcement action against two affiliated consumer reporting agencies under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (“FCRA”) based on these companies’ employment background screening practices.  The consent order requires these background screeners to pay a total of $13 million in penalties and

On October 28, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau filed an administrative consent order against Security National Automotive Acceptance Company (“SNAAC”), an Ohio auto lender specializing in loans to service members, for engaging in illegal debt collection practices.  The order requires the company to refund or credit about $2.28 million to service members and other consumers

On October 30, the American Bankers Association (“ABA”) filed a letter opposing the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s plan, under the Paperwork Reduction Act, to conduct a nationwide web-based survey of 8,000 individuals as part of the Bureau’s study of overdraft protection services.  The ABA urged the CFPB to re-submit its proposed plan with a draft

On October 27, two law firms accused by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau of violating the Consumer Financial Protection Act responded to the CFPB’s allegations that they failed to provide consumers with promised legal representation by accusing the CFPB of “improperly [attempting] to create a new federal common law definition of the practice of law.”  

On October 27, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois awarded the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau $531.2 million against for-profit college chain Corinthian Colleges, Inc. for what the Bureau described as a “predatory” student lending program that the company administered.  Prior to its liquidation through bankruptcy earlier this year, Corinthian was one