Regulatory Enforcement + Compliance

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On March 22, New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman announced that his office reached a $540,000 settlement with Freedom Stores, a Norfolk, Virginia-based retailer that sold furniture and electronics in stores near military bases.  Schneiderman said that the settlement will clear debt and judgments charged to 257 soldiers from New York serving at various locations …

A recent interview given to the Washington State Tri-City Herald highlights the increased focus of the Washington Attorney General’s office on consumer protection issues. 

In the interview, Attorney General Bob Ferguson explained that his focus is to recover money for consumers who have been harmed.  He told the paper that since he has …

The Federal Trade Commission has signed a memorandum of understanding (“MOU”) with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (“RCMP”) to strengthen cooperation regarding cross-border fraud matters.  Acting FTC Chairman Maureen K. Ohlhausen signed the MOU on behalf of the United States, and Commissioner Bob Paulson signed on behalf of the RCMP and Canada.

The MOU concerns…

The Federal Trade Commission has released its annual summary of consumer complaints for 2016, contained in the FTC’s latest Consumer Sentinel Network Data Book.  The FTC compiles the report annually based on complaints received by the Consumer Sentinel Network.  Complaints include those made directly by consumers to the FTC, as well as complaints received…

On March 16, 2017, the Federal Reserve Board (the “Board”) issued an order approving the merger of two bank holding companies, People’s United Financial, Inc. and Suffolk Bancorp, under Section 3 of the Bank Holding Company Act of 1956 (the “Act”).1 Although the approval of the merger itself is relatively insignificant, the order expanded…

On March 16, the Consumer Protection Division of the Maryland Attorney General’s Office announced a settlement with five California law firms and Mandip Purewal , the owner of the firms.  The Attorney General alleged that the firms illegally collected advance fees from consumers, ostensibly to settle the consumers’ debts.  In actuality, the …

On March 17, the U.S. Department of Justice submitted a brief to the D.C. Circuit asserting that the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s single-director structure violates the Constitution’s separation of powers in the CFPB v. PHH Corporation case.

CFPB’s Single Director Structure

The Democratic-controlled 111th Congress created the CFPB as part of the Dodd-Frank Act in…

On March 10, Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring announced settlements with two Fredericksburg, Virginia pawnbrokers – Pawnking, LLC and All Star Pawn & Gold, LLC – over allegations the companies charged consumers illegal interest and fees in violation of Virginia’s pawnbroker statutes and the Virginia Consumer Protection Act.  As part of the settlement, Pawnking and…

Republicans in Congress have moved to repeal recently issued Consumer Financial Protection Bureau regulations governing the prepaid card industry.  Rep. Tom Graves (R-Ga.) introduced a bill in the House in early February that would submit the rules to a vote of disapproval under the Congressional Review Act.  A …

On February 24, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau asked a federal district court in Florida to approve a $107 million settlement to resolve claims against Orion Processing LLC.  The Bureau alleged the bankrupt company engaged in a debt-relief scheme that cost consumers millions. 

The CFPB filed suit against Orion in August …