Regulatory Enforcement + Compliance

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The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit recently dismissed an appeal in the case of Lewis v. Becerra, Secretary of the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The appellants sought to challenge the district court’s denial of class certification despite having won their individual claims for Medicare reimbursement. The court dismissed the appeal for lack of Article III standing, emphasizing that the appellants did not demonstrate a concrete, individual injury from the denial of class certification.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) recently announced that it has filed proposed orders against the owners and operators of Financial Education Services (FES), a credit repair operation accused of running a pyramid scheme and violating the Credit Repair Organizations Act (CROA). The proposed orders call for permanent bans and substantial monetary penalties for the defendants.

This week, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB or Bureau) issued an advisory opinion and a research report addressing contract-for-deed home financing, also known as a “land contract,” “land installment contract,” “land sales contract,” “bond for deed,” “agreement for deed,” or “buying on contract.” The advisory opinion concludes that form of seller financing, where the seller retains the deed until the buyer completes the payments, generally is “consumer credit” under the Truth-in-Lending Act and Regulation Z and, therefore, that many providers of the financing must comply with the Ability to Repay and other rules in Regulation Z governing consumer mortgages. The CFPB also asserts that contract-for-deed home financing can trap buyers in unlivable homes and financial hardship.

On July 25, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB or Bureau) released an Issue Spotlight focusing on the fees associated with electronic payment platforms used by school districts to process school lunch payments. In its report, the CFPB emphasized the costs of electronic payments in K-12 schools and the potential financial strain these fees could place on lower income families.

Yesterday, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB or Bureau) issued Circular 2024-04 warning financial institutions about the potential illegality of nondisclosure agreements (NDAs) that could deter whistleblowing. Specifically, the Bureau addressed whether requiring employees to sign broad confidentiality agreements violates § 1057 of the Consumer Financial Protection Act (CFPA). According to the CFPB, the answer is “yes” under circumstances that could lead an employee to reasonably believe that they would be sued or subject to other adverse actions if they disclosed suspected violations of federal consumer financial law to government investigators or a law enforcement agency.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB or Bureau) recently released its semi-annual regulatory agenda, outlining its planned rulemaking initiatives. The CFPB releases regulatory agendas twice a year in voluntary conjunction with a broader initiative led by the Office of Budget and Management to publish a Unified Agenda of Regulatory and Deregulatory actions across the federal government. This agenda includes a mix of rules in the pre-rulemaking, proposed rule, and final rule stages, covering a wide range of topics from mortgage closing costs to financial data transparency. The CFPB has not yet posted a blog or issued a press release about the agenda.

Yesterday, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB or Bureau) issued a proposed interpretive rule opining that earned wage access (EWA) products — whether provided through employer partnerships or marketed directly to borrowers — are subject to Truth in Lending Act (TILA) and Regulation Z requirements. The proposed rule’s broad definitions and aggressive stance on fees and tips as finance charges conflict with many state laws and could lead to litigation.

Yesterday, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB or Bureau) filed a brief in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas in support of its motion to dissolve the preliminary injunction that has stayed the implementation of its credit card late fee rule. Concurrently, the Bureau also filed a notice of supplemental authority in support of their motion to dismiss or transfer on the grounds that the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce does not have associational standing to bring the suit. Within hours, the court issued an order requiring further briefing on the issue of associational standing.

After several attempts in the Missouri legislature, last week Governor Mike Parson signed a Commercial Financing Disclosure Law. This legislation requires certain disclosures to be made by providers of commercial purpose closed-end and open-end loans, and sales-based financing transactions. The law will take effect six months after the Division of Finance finalizes promulgating rules or on February 28, 2025, if the Division does not intend to promulgate rules.

As we predicted here, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB or Bureau) last week proposed new and, in some cases, streamlined rules governing what mortgage servicers must do after a borrower becomes delinquent. The proposed rules incorporate some pandemic-era practices, such as allowing servicers to offer assistance without a comprehensive review of the borrower’s financial situation. According to the CFPB, the new rules would require mortgage servicers to prioritize loss mitigation over foreclosing, reduce paperwork requirements, improve communication with borrowers, and ensure critical information is provided in the borrowers’ preferred language.