On December 23, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau issued a proposed rule amending Regulation E, 12 C.F.R. §§ 205.1 et seq. – which implements the Electronic Fund Transfer Act, 15 U.S.C. §§ 1693 et seq. – and Regulation Z, 12 C.F.R. §§ 226.1 et seq. – which implements the Truth in Lending Act, 15 U.S.C.
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB)
ALJ Issues First Decision in Contested CFPB Administrative Enforcement Action; Appellate Decision by Director Cordray Pending
In November, Administrative Law Judge Cameron Elliot of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission issued the first “recommended decision” in a litigated Consumer Financial Protection Bureau administrative enforcement action.
In In re PHH Corporation, et. al., the CFPB alleged this residential mortgage lender was engaged in a nearly 15-year “mortgage insurance kickback scheme” by…
OCC Revises Comptroller’s Handbook Booklet on TILA
On December 16, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) issued a new Truth in Lending Act (TILA) booklet of the Comptroller’s Handbook.
Replacing guidance from December 2010, this booklet provides updated guidance and procedures to examiners in connection with recent changes made to Regulation Z (12 CFR 1026), primarily with regard…
CFPB Webinars Available on TILA-RESPA Integrated Disclosure Rule
Last month the CFPB held another in a series of webinars on the TILA-RESPA Integrated Disclosure Rule. You can view the video of this webinar – and the prior three webinars – here, which focused on questions related to completing the Closing Disclosure Form.
Last month’s session was the fourth in a series of…
CFPB Asks for Comments on Proposed Amendments to 2013 Mortgage Rules
On December 15, the CFPB published a proposed rule regarding Amendments to the 2013 Mortgage Rules under the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (Regulation X) and the Truth in Lending Act (Regulation Z).
As we previously discussed, in October 2014 the CFPB issued a final rule amending the 2013 mortgage rules that took effect…
CFPB Issues Bulletin on Verifying Disability Income in Mortgage Lending
In November, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau issued a compliance bulletin (CFPB Bulletin 2014-03) reminding lenders of their legal obligations when underwriting mortgage loans for Social Security disability recipients. The agency outlined steps that creditors can take to avoid illegal discrimination in violation of the Equal Credit Opportunity Act (ECOA) and Regulation B.
Lenders in…
CFPB Sues Texas Company Offering Sham Credit Card
On December 17, 2014, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) sued Union Workers Credit Services, a Dallas-based company that allegedly deceived consumers into purchasing a sham credit card with a membership fee. The CFPB’s complaint charges the company with falsely advertising a general-use credit card that, in actuality, could only be used to buy products…
CFPB Turns Its Focus to Medical Debt Collection
On December 11, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau released a report and accompanying press release regarding the intersection of medical debt and credit reporting. This report reveals the staggering impact medical debt has on the credit reports of millions of Americans.
The CFPB views medical debt as unique among debts because of the unpredictability by…
CFPB’s Report on College Credit Card Agreements Shows 70% Decline from 2009
On December 15, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau published its annual report on joint credit card agreements between colleges and financial institutions. The report showed a nearly seventy percent (70%) decline in the number of agreements since Congress passed new disclosure requirements in 2009. In 2009, Congress passed the Credit Card Accountability, Responsibility, and Disclosure…
CFPB Requires Major Credit Reporting Agencies to Inform on Furnishers
On December 11, 2014, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) issued a report and announced that it will be requiring major credit reporting agencies (CRAs) to provide regular reports to the CFPB identifying, by name, potentially problematic furnishers of information. In other words, the CFPB will be co-opting the major CRAs into helping the CFPB…