Regulatory Enforcement + Compliance

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On April 11, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit issued an order partially staying the district court’s preliminary injunction in the ongoing legal dispute between the National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU) and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). This decision marks a significant development in the NTEU’s challenge against Acting Director Russell Vought’s actions, which the union claims are unconstitutional and violate the Dodd-Frank Act. The appellate court’s order addresses several key provisions of the district court’s injunction, setting the stage for an expedited appeal process.

Last month, the Texas legislature introduced two companion bills, S.B. No. 2677 and H.B. No. 700, to regulate sales-based commercial financing. For purposes of the proposed legislation, sales-based financing is a transaction that is repaid as a percentage of sales or revenue, or according to a fixed payment mechanism that provides for a reconciliation process to adjust payments to an amount that is a percentage of sales or revenue. These bills propose significant changes to the regulatory landscape for sales-based financing transactions, including the imposition of a usury cap on such transactions and disclosure requirements that only extend to financing of over $500,000. The bills are currently pending before committees.

On April 7, DailyPay, LLC, an employer-integrated earned wage access (EWA) provider, filed a lawsuit against New York Attorney General Letitia James, seeking declaratory relief to prevent the enforcement of state and federal laws that the company argues do not apply to its business model. The case, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, centers on the classification of DailyPay’s on-demand pay (ODP) product, which allows workers to access their earned wages before the traditional payday.

On April 9, the House of Representatives passed two Congressional Review Act (CRA) joint resolutions aimed at nullifying certain Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) rules finalized in the final days of the Biden-Harris Administration. These resolutions, S.J. Res. 18 and S.J. Res. 28, target rules related to limiting the overdraft fees that may be charged by large financial institutions, and extending supervisory authority over certain providers of digital payments services, respectively. The CRA resolutions are now before President Trump for signature.

As federal agencies pull back on consumer protection regulations under the Trump administration, California is stepping up to fill the void. This shift was forecasted in January, when the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) released a report titled “Strengthening State-Level Consumer Protections” (discussed here), which provided a roadmap for states looking to bolster their consumer protection laws after the anticipated rollback with the new administration.

The Conference of State Bank Supervisors (CSBS), a nationwide organization of state banking and financial regulators from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and U.S. territories, has raised significant concerns regarding the current draft of the Stablecoin Transparency and Accountability for a Better Ledger Economy (STABLE) Act.

On March 28, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB or Bureau) was ordered by the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to reinstate its employees and resume its operations. This decision comes after the CFPB allegedly attempted to shut down its activities, leading to the National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU) filing a lawsuit questioning the legality of the shutdown. The court held that the CFPB’s actions to halt its operations and terminate its employees were not consistent with its statutory obligations under Title X of Dodd-Frank. As a result, the court granted a preliminary injunction requiring the CFPB to reverse its shutdown efforts, reinstate its workforce, and continue performing its statutory duties. On March 29, the Bureau filed its notice of appeal of the preliminary injunction.

Last Friday, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) announced the rescission of Financial Institution Letter (FIL-16-2022) and issued new guidance clarifying the process for FDIC-supervised institutions to engage in crypto-related activities. The new Financial Institution Letter (FIL-7-2025) represents a 180 degree turn from the prior Chairman’s position, which required prior notification and relevant information by banks seeking to engage in crypto-related activities.

In a surprising turn of events, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB or Bureau) and Townstone Financial, Inc. (Townstone) have jointly moved to vacate the Stipulated Final Judgment and Order previously entered in the CFPB’s enforcement action against the mortgage lender alleging redlining practices. This motion, filed on March 26, 2025, comes after significant allegations by the CFPB regarding the Bureau’s own handling of the case, which began in 2020 under the first Trump administration and continued under the Biden administration.

In a significant policy shift under the Trump administration, the new Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) Director Bill Pulte issued an order on March 25, 2025 terminating special purpose credit programs (SPCPs) supported by the government sponsored enterprises, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (together, the GSEs). This directive, effective immediately, will significantly impact banks with mortgage-based SPCPs.