Moving the Metal

Subscribe to Moving the Metal via RSS

In this mid-year roundup episode of Moving the Metal: The Auto Finance Podcast, hosts Brooke Conkle and Chris Capurso recap the biggest developments shaping the auto finance industry in the first half of 2026, including the FTC’s widely unexpected “Notorious 97” warning letters to nearly 100 dealers, a wave of state-level UDAP enforcement actions, Senator Elizabeth Warren’s data requests targeting repossession and service member lending practices, Kentucky’s new legislative framework for GAP and vehicle financial protection products, a significant New Jersey dealer enforcement action under the state’s Consumer Fraud Act, and the growing compliance risks around fraud detection and AI use in the sales and financing process — wrapping up with a look ahead at what the second half of the year may bring.

In this episode of Moving the Metal: The Auto Finance Podcast, hosts Brooke Conkle and Chris Capurso break down two significant state-level regulatory responses to the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) March 2026 wave of 97 warning letters targeting auto dealers — examining how Louisiana’s Motor Vehicle Commission is formally updating its advertising regulations to align with FTC guidance on total price transparency, and how the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office issued a sweeping advisory putting dealers on notice that hidden documentation fees violate state law, with potential double exposure under both motor vehicle dealer regulations and the Massachusetts UDAP statute.

In this crossover episode of Payments Pros and Regulatory Oversight, Stephen Piepgrass and Keith Barnett provide an update on the fast-developing prediction markets landscape. They discuss how federal and state regulators are responding to the growth of event contracts and the legal questions surrounding this emerging market. The conversation highlights the CFTC’s continued focus on oversight, market integrity, and the need for platforms to maintain strong controls to detect and prevent manipulation or other improper trading activity.

In this episode of Moving the Metal: The Auto Finance Podcast, hosts Brooke Conkle and Chris Capurso break down a New Jersey enforcement action against a dealer group that began with a 2018 consent order and escalated into a 2023 complaint packed with Consumer Fraud Act allegations — from gray market disclosures and duplicative add-ons to odometer violations and improper warranty sales. The trial court initially imposed over $10 million in penalties before two rounds of reconsideration brought the final figure down to $155,000, offering a striking look at how courts balance deterrence, proportionality, and ability to pay. Tune in for a practical breakdown of what this case means for dealers navigating compliance in an era where state enforcement is quickly becoming the front line.

In this episode of Moving the Metal: The Auto Finance Podcast, hosts Brooke Conkle and Chris Capurso are joined by partner Brian Casey to unpack Kentucky SB 158, a new law creating a comprehensive framework for vehicle financial protection products, including GAP waivers, excess wear and tear waivers, and vehicle value protection agreements. They explain how SB 158 designates these products as “not insurance,” imposes clear optionality and disclosure requirements, mandates a 30-day free look period, and addresses how benefits and refunds work — particularly in repossession scenarios. They also discuss what dealers, lenders, and administrators should do now to update forms, contracts, and processes, and how Kentucky’s approach may become a model for other states considering regulation of auto add-on products.

In this episode of Moving the Metal: The Auto Finance Podcast, hosts Brooke Conkle and Chris Capurso examine the evolving fraud threats facing auto dealers and finance companies, from income and identity fraud to vehicle-related scams like forged VINs and deceptive trade-ins. They explore how these schemes translate into chargebacks, consumer lawsuits, and regulatory scrutiny; the tension between robust fraud controls and sales friction; and why clear policies, consistent verification, strong dealer-lender agreements, and meticulous documentation are critical both to preventing fraud and defending disputes when something slips through.

In this episode of Moving the Metal: The Auto Finance Podcast, hosts Brooke Conkle and Chris Capurso break down a major FTC–Maryland AG settlement with multiple auto dealerships over alleged deceptive pricing, unauthorized add-ons, and misleading financing practices. Brooke and Chris walk through the redress and penalty structure and explain how “total price,” clear disclosure, and express informed consent are being enforced post-CARS Rule. They also discuss what dealers and auto finance companies should do now to strengthen compliance, documentation, and oversight of dealer practices.

In this second installment of Moving the Metal: The Auto Finance Podcast’s 2025 auto finance year in review, hosts Brooke Conkle and Chris Capurso unpack three emerging risk hotspots: service member auto lending, changes to Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) larger-participant supervision, and state vehicle data privacy laws. They break down the CFPB’s 2025 Servicemember Auto Lending Report, proposed shifts to the auto larger-participant threshold, and New Jersey’s first-of-its-kind vehicle data deletion law — along with what each development means for compliance programs, dealer oversight, and litigation risk. Tune in to hear how federal and state trends are reshaping auto finance risk and what companies should be doing now to stay ahead in 2026.

In this episode of Moving the Metal: The Auto Finance Podcast, hosts Brooke Conkle and Chris Capurso break down two major developments turning up regulatory pressure on the auto finance industry. They unpack the FTC’s “WARNING LETTER” campaign targeting nearly 100 dealers, focused on UDAAP risks in pricing and advertising, including hidden fees, conditional pricing, mandatory add-ons, and unavailable vehicles. They also examine Senator Elizabeth Warren’s sweeping, short-fuse request for granular data comparing servicemember and civilian auto finance outcomes, signaling heightened bipartisan scrutiny of military borrowers. Tune in to hear what these letters really mean, what regulators are looking for, and how auto finance companies and dealers should be preparing now.

In this episode of Moving the Metal: The Auto Finance Podcast, hosts Brooke Conkle and Chris Capurso kick off a two-part Auto Finance Year in Review by unpacking the Fifth Circuit’s vacatur of the FTC CARS Rule, the decision by the Trump 2.0 administration not to appeal, and how states — led by California’s CARS Act and Oregon’s new auto finance law — are quickly filling the gap with their own disclosure, add-on, cancellation, and recordkeeping requirements, creating a growing state-by-state patchwork that challenges truly uniform national compliance programs for dealers, finance companies, and servicers.