On June 17, 2016, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (“CFPB”) announced changes to the dollar amount thresholds for certain consumer credit transactions under the Truth in Lending Act (“TILA”). According to the notice submitted to the Federal Register, these new thresholds could affect minimum interest charges and safe harbor penalty fees under the Credit Card
Regulatory Enforcement + Compliance
CFPB Argues Violation of Statutory Right against Misrepresentation is in itself Concrete Injury
In Bock v. Pressler & Pressler, LLP, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit requested supplemental briefs applying Spokeo, Inc. v. Robins to the Article III standing issue at bar. As we previously reported, the Court requested targeted discussion on whether a violation of the statutory right at issue was by…
FTC Gets $27 Million Settlement and Continues Trend of Targeting Tech Support Scammers
The Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) and Florida have settled charges against Vast Tech Support LLC, OMG Tech Help, their founder and COO Mark Donohue, and related companies regarding claims of deceptive marketing of computer software and tech support services. The settlement continues the FTC’s trend of enforcement actions that target scammers who scare consumers into…
Arkansas Attorney General Announces Settlement with Online Payday Lender
On June 24, 2016, Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge announced a settlement agreement with payday lender, Western Sky Financial LLC, and loan servicer, CashCall Inc., to resolve allegations that the companies conspired to offer illegal online loans to Arkansas consumers while claiming to be shielded by tribal sovereign immunity.
According to the Arkansas Attorney General,…
House Bill Introduced Requiring Changes to CFPB Complaint Database
On June 9, Representative Matt Salmon (R-AZ) introduced legislation to impose new requirements on how the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau makes consumer complaints public in the Consumer Complaint Database. According to Salmon, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (“CFPB”) Data Accountability Act “would improve the current database by requiring the CFPB to verify the…
CFPB Issues Update to Its Supervision and Examination Manual
On June 22, 2016, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (“CFPB”) issued its third update to its exam procedures for mortgage servicers. In its press release, the CFPB stated that mortgage servicers should “note a greater emphasis” on complaint handling, responses to requests by borrowers, and fair lending issues. According to the CFPB, the update…
CFPB Releases “Know Before You Owe” Guide for Auto Purchases
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (“CFPB”) has released an “auto loan shopping sheet” and other online resources as part of its “Know Before You Owe” initiative, which aims to assist consumers with comparison shopping and financing auto purchases. The initiative “walks consumers through each step of the auto finance process to help them…
CFPB Will Appeal Decision Blocking its Investigation into College Accreditation Organization
In a case that looks at the statutory bounds of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s investigative authority, the CFPB announced that it plans to appeal a federal district court decision denying the agency’s request to enforce a civil investigative demand, or “CID”.
In August 2015, the CFPB issued a CID to the Accrediting Council for …
Vermont Executes Assurance of Discontinuance with Payday Lender Payment Processor
On May 19, 2016, the Vermont Attorney General announced that it had executed an Assurance of Discontinuance with a payment processor arising out of the Attorney General’s allegation that the payment processor violated a Vermont state statute prohibiting unfair and deceptive practices when the processor processed payments for dozens of payday lenders who did not…
Minnesota Attorney General Sues Company for Deceptive Sales
On June 9, Minnesota Attorney General Lori Swanson filed a lawsuit against Your Magazine Service, Inc., a Minnesota corporation, and the corporation’s owner, Wayne R. Dahl, Jr., alleging that the company used deceptive sales tactics to sign up customers for magazine subscriptions.
According to the suit, the company would call individuals who had purchased …