Please join Consumer Financial Services Partner Chris Willis and his colleagues Jeremy Rosenblum and Tony Kaye as they discuss the phenomenon of mass arbitrations, which pose increasing risk to the consumer finance industry. The partners use their knowledge to explain what mass arbitration is and describe prophylactic measures companies should take.

Please join Consumer Financial Services Partner Chris Willis and his guest and colleague Tony Kaye as they discuss the recently enacted California Senate Bill 1311 or Military and Veteran Consumer Protection Act of 2022. Effective January 1, 2023, the new bill — drawn up by the California attorney general’s office — intends to enhance consumer protections for military service members, directly affecting the Military Lending Act’s exception for loans to purchase motor vehicles and other personal property.

Please join Consumer Financial Services Partner Chris Willis and his colleagues Stefanie Jackman and Chris Carlson as they discuss the recent action by the Massachusetts attorney general (AG) involving automobile dealer pricing discrimination. After a Massachusetts-based automobile dealer allegedly engaged in discriminatory pricing toward Black and Hispanic automobile customers via additional charges for “add-on” products, the AG’s office acted. Listen as Chris, Stefanie, and Chris dive deeper into the case and what it could mean for automobile dealers in the future.

Please join Troutman Pepper Partner Chris Willis and his guest and colleague Brooke Conkle as they discuss the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) recent consent order with Passport Auto Group. The FTC alleged Passport violated the law in three areas: Passport had a practice of marking up fees from the advertised price; Passport had a discretionary markup practice that caused Black and Latino customers to pay higher fees; and it charged Black and Latino customers additional fees for markups for extra services. The consent order requires Passport to pay $3.38 million, with the FTC redistributing the money to affected customers. Chris and Brooke further discuss the FTC’s proposed rule relating to disclosure of fees and how this affects auto dealerships.

Please join Consumer Financial Services Partner Chris Willis and his colleague and fellow Partner Jordi de Llano as they discuss recent developments in anti-money laundering. In this episode, the attorneys examine FinCen’s September 2022 final rule, which implements guidance on new beneficial ownership information reporting requirements of the Corporate Transparency Act (CTA), as well as take a deeper dive into recent developments and what it means for different entities.

Please join Consumer Financial Services Partner Chris Willis and his colleague Partner Misha Tseytlin to discuss the Fifth Circuit’s decision in Community Financial Services Association of America, Ltd. v. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, what may happen next and when, and the ruling’s practical impact on the consumer finance industry. As noted in our October 20 blog about the CFSA case, a Fifth Circuit panel found the funding mechanism for the CFPB to be unconstitutional.

Please join Consumer Financial Services Partner Chris Willis and his colleagues and fellow Partners Mary Zinsner and Susan Flint as they discuss the current landscape of wire fraud scams in the financial services industry. Topics include:

  • Wire fraud scams, such as Business Email Compromise (BEC) fraud, and the potential liability of banks;
  • How banks should analyze wire fraud claims in the pre-litigation stage;
  • How courts are ruling on the issues;
  • Responsibilities of nonbank parties to the wire; and
  • Tips for bank in-house counsel in handling wire fraud transfer situations.

Please join Consumer Financial Services Partner Chris Willis and his colleagues Ron Raether and Kim Phan, partners in our Privacy + Cyber Practice Group, as they discuss recent privacy and data security updates in the consumer financial services industry. Topics include:

  • The CFPB’s and FTC’s regulatory stance on privacy and data security issues;
  • The current landscape of privacy legislation; and
  • Emerging trends in privacy and data security litigation, including the status of litigation under the California Consumer Privacy Act, and how businesses can protect themselves going forward.