On May 12, the Colorado legislature passed Senate Bill 26‑189, a substantial rewrite of its 2024 law establishing consumer protections for artificial intelligence (formerly referred to as the CO AI Act), and replaced it with a more targeted framework for “automated decision‑making technology” (ADMT). The changes will take effect on January 1, 2027.
Yesterday, California Governor Gavin Newsom announced the appointment of Rohit Chopra, former Director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) and former Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Commissioner, as Secretary of the state’s new Business and Consumer Services Agency (BCSA). The new cabinet‑level agency, which formally launches on July 1, 2026, is designed to consolidate and elevate state‑level consumer and market oversight at a moment when federal enforcement is being scaled back. Governor Newsom framed the move as bringing “one of the nation’s most prominent consumer protection leaders” into state government to crack down on corporate abuse, curb junk fees, and lower costs for Californians.
On April 28, Governor Wes Moore (D) signed Senate Bill 94 into law, significantly revising Maryland’s earned wage access (EWA) framework and tightening restrictions on tipping practices in both EWA programs and certain consumer loans. The new law amends multiple provisions of the Commercial Law Article and adds new sections governing advertising, anti‑discrimination, and regulatory safe harbors.
On May 6, several Senate Democrats sent letters to three nationwide consumer reporting agencies (CRAs) requesting detailed information about how Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) loans are being handled in consumer reporting. The letters, led by Senator Elizabeth Warren (D‑MA), follow a prior set of information requests made in November 2025 to BNPL providers about whether and how they furnish BNPL data to CRAs.
On May 5, Craig Trainor, Assistant Secretary for the Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity (FHEO) at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), used the American Bankers Association’s Risk and Compliance Conference to send a clear message about how the Trump administration plans to enforce the Fair Housing Act (FHA) going forward, including with respect to how it will treat special purpose credit programs (SPCPs).
Today, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB or Bureau) released its final rule revising the 2023 small business lending data collection and reporting rule under the Equal Credit Opportunity Act (ECOA) and Regulation B, which implements Section 1071 of the Dodd-Frank Act (2026 Final Rule). The 2026 Final Rule will become effective 60 days after publication in the Federal Register, and the compliance date for initial data collection is January 1, 2028.
On April 8, Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger signed SB 227, the Arbitration Fairness Act, into law. The Act not only regulates how high-volume arbitration providers select and oversee arbitrators, but also reshapes the rules for challenging an arbitration award after it has been issued. Designed to make consumer and employment arbitrations more transparent and balanced when administered by high‑volume arbitration service providers, SB 227 will take effect on July 1, 2026, and will apply to all arbitration agreements entered into on or after that date.
Recent reporting from the ABA Banking Journal and the American Banker describes a rapidly evolving restructuring of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB or Bureau) under the Trump administration, with significant implications for the agency’s future role and for regulated entities.
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has issued an interim final rule extending the compliance dates for its 2024 Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Title II website and mobile application accessibility regulations for state and local governments. This development is noteworthy for anyone watching the long‑running debate over web accessibility standards, as well as the potential implication of this rulemaking for a future DOJ proposed rule governing public accommodations under Title III of the ADA.
On April 22, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB or Bureau) issued its final rewrite of Subpart A of Regulation B (Reg B) under the Equal Credit Opportunity Act (ECOA), which eliminates disparate impact from enforcement of ECOA, clarifies the prohibition on discouraging prospective applicants, and establishes new restrictions on special purpose credit programs (SPCPs). The Bureau has largely finalized the rule as proposed, with only clarifying edits rather than substantive revisions. Notably, the Bureau did so after receiving approximately 64,500 comments on the proposal from industry, consumer advocates, state attorneys general, and members of Congress. The rule will become effective 90 days after publication in the Federal Register.