The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has announced an interpretive rule to assist heirs who, due to the death of a mortgagor, acquire title to a property and take over the mortgage.  Specifically, the interpretative rule clarifies that heirs may be added to a mortgage without prompting the Ability-to-Repay rule, which took effect in January 2014.

In a novel ruling, the Ninth Circuit expressly adopted an opinion from the Federal Communications Commission, finding the potential for vicarious liability under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act.  In Thomas v. Taco Bell Corp., No. 12-56458 (unpublished), the Ninth Circuit affirmed a lower court’s holding that Taco Bell was not vicariously liable under the

On June 9, 2014, the House of Representatives unanimously passed H.R. 3211, the Mortgage Choice Act, which amends the Truth in Lending Act and the definition of “qualified mortgage” under the Dodd-Frank Act.  The legislation was introduced by Representatives Bill Huizenga (R-MI) and Gregory Meeks (D-NY), and is intended to afford low and moderate income

On June 10, 2014, CFPB Director Richard Cordray appeared before the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs in conjunction with the May 2014 release of the Bureau’s fifth Semi-Annual Report.  Cordray highlighted a variety of topics, including mortgages, student loans, complaint numbers, and proposed data collection efforts.

Senator Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) questioned

CFPB Announces Spring 2014 Rulemaking Agenda, Confirms Development of “Larger Participant” Definition for Auto Finance Market

On May 23, 2014, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau posted its updated semi-annual rule-making agenda, which covers several important categories of upcoming regulatory action.

Defining Larger Participants in Auto Lending Market for Regulation

Through use of its rulemaking

Beginning in June, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau will provide the public with access to the meetings of the Consumer Advisory Board (CAB)and the CFPB’s three Councils.  Anyone may attend or watch the full meetings live online the same way most other agencies allow under the Federal Advisory Committee Act.

As we previously discussed,

On May 7, 2014, the Federal Trade Commission filed a complaint in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas, Case No. 4:14cv1262, against GoLoansOnline.com (“GoLoansOnline”), an online company that finds potential borrowers for mortgage companies, alleging violations of the Federal Trade Commission Act, the Mortgage Acts and Practices Advertising Rule, the Truth

The CFPB posted Regulation Z, which implements the Truth in Lending Act, on its eRegulations platform.  The posting brings together all materials related to the regulation on a single website.  Users of eRegulations can view the currently effective regulation text, search past and present versions of regulations, compare two versions of the regulation,

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau recently issued guidelines aimed to increase clarity regarding the Truth in Lending Act-Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (TILA-RESPA) integrated mortgage disclosure rule.  The CFPB stated that the “TILA-RESPA Integrated Disclosure Rule Small Entity Compliance Guide” makes mortgage disclosures easier for consumers to understand and use, while also helping

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has issued a rule containing proposed amendments to its mortgage rules under the Truth in Lending Act (Regulation Z).  The proposed rule was published in the Federal Register on May 6, 2014.  The proposal includes amendments to certain rules that were issued in January 2013 and went into effect in