On October 20, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) issued an Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, seeking public comment on the harms stemming from what it characterizes as “junk fees,” i.e., fees that are allegedly unnecessary, unavoidable, or unexpected, and that inflate costs while adding little value. The term also encompasses “hidden fees,” which are fees
In a major decision released October 19, a three-judge panel of the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals found the funding mechanism for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB or Bureau) to be unconstitutional. Specifically, the court in Community Financial Services Association of America, Ltd. v. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau held the CFPB’s funding violates the
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) reached a $3.38 million settlement with Passport Automotive Group (Passport) and two of its officers over allegations that the automotive group violated the Equal Credit Opportunity Act and the FTC Act by adding “junk fees” onto the cost of its vehicles and discriminating against Black and Latino consumers by charging
On September 27, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill 1311, the Military and Veteran Consumer Protection Act of 2022 (the Act), into law. The Act takes direct aim at, among other things, the Military Lending Act’s (MLA) exceptions for loans obtained to purchase motor vehicles and other forms of personal property. It goes
On October 13, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) released its 12th Annual Report to Congress on college credit card agreements. The report reviewed agreements and data covering the over 1.2 million student checking and credit card accounts that are governed by partnerships between institutions of higher education and financial services providers, and it highlighted
On June 23, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) issued a final rule, prohibiting consumer reporting agencies (CRAs) from reporting adverse information resulting from human trafficking on survivors’ credit reports. This rule took effect on July 25.
The CFPB’s final rule amends Regulation VII, the Fair Credit Reporting Act’s (FCRA) implementing regulation, to comply
On September 29, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB or Bureau) released a special edition of its Supervisory Highlights, focusing on student loan servicing. The report contained findings on federal student loan servicing that echo many recent public comments by the Bureau, but more notably, this edition of Supervisory Highlights also focused heavily on
A recent federal court decision from the Northern District of Texas offers some useful lessons and insights for creditors relying on the Military Lending Act’s (MLA) safe harbors for verifying whether a consumer is a “covered borrower.”
In Greenwood v. Cottonwood Financial, Ltd., 2022 WL 3754706 (N.D. Tex. 2022) (see also court decision
On September 28, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce (Chamber), together with the Longview Chamber of Commerce, American Bankers Association, Consumer Bankers Association, Independent Bankers Association of Texas, Texas Association of Business, and Texas Bankers Association, filed a lawsuit in the Eastern District of Texas against the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) to prevent the amendment
On September 19, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) released a blog post, exploring the potential relationship between rising car prices and changes in auto loan performance. The CFPB found that the rate of delinquency, especially for low-income borrowers, has risen over the past year. For example, auto loans for consumers with deep subprime