News & Analysis as of

Usury

Troutman Pepper

States Join Colorado in Defense of Interest Rate Opt-Out Law

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On September 20, 13 states and Washington, D.C. joined Colorado in its appeal asking the Tenth Circuit to uphold a state law imposing more restrictive interest rate caps on loans from out-of-state banks to residents, arguing...more

Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP

Massachusetts’ Attorney General settles with lender for alleged usury claims

On May 21, the Massachusetts Attorney General (AG) released an Assurance of Discontinuance against a lender for allegedly violating the state’s Consumer Protection Act (CPA) provision on unfair and deceptive acts and...more

Ballard Spahr LLP

CFPB alleges dark patterns in suit against fintech peer-to-peer lender

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On May 17, 2024, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (“CFPB”) filed suit against an online lending platform, alleging, among other things, the use of dark patterns to induce consumers to pay tips and donations,...more

King & Spalding

New York Court Holds That Usury Is Determined by Total Amount of Loan, Not Amount Actually Advanced

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On February 1, 2024, a New York trial court held that the amount of a loan, and not the amount actually advanced to the borrower, is the relevant measurement to determine if New York’s criminal usury statute applies....more

Allen Matkins

Judge Rules That A Front For Mexican Cartel Had The Capacity To Protect Its Own Interests

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California Corporations Code Section 25118(b) provides an exemption from the state's usury limitations for loans.  The exemption is subject to several conditions.  One condition is the existence of either a preexisting...more

Hudson Cook, LLP

New York Financing Arrangements Bill Would Have Major Implications for Commercial Financing

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A bill before the New York State Assembly would, if passed, have major implications for a variety of financing transactions in the Empire State. Titled the End Loan Sharking Act, Assembly Bill 9585 would subject a variety of...more

Troutman Pepper

Washington D.C. Introduces Legislation Attacking Fintech-Bank Partnership Lending by Opting Out of DIDMCA and Codifying a “True...

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Late last month, Councilmember Kenyan R. McDuffie introduced B 25-0609, entitled the Protecting Affordable Loans Amendment Act of 2023, that proposes to opt the District of Columbia out of sections 521-523 of the Depository...more

Troutman Pepper

Opportunity Financial Scores Big Win in CA DFPI’s “True Lender” Lawsuit

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A California state court recently denied a preliminary injunction sought by the California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation (the DFPI) in its long-running litigation against Opportunity Financial (OppFi)...more

Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP

Minnesota AG files complaint against a tribal company for steep rates

On October 30, the Minnesota Attorney General’s office filed a complaint against a Montana tribal economic development entity claiming that the entity’s lending subsidiaries violated state and federal usury laws through...more

King & Spalding

Second Circuit Finds No Waiver of Usury Defense in Breach of Loan Agreement Case

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On September 6, 2023, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit vacated and remanded a district court’s decision rejecting borrower defendants’ usury defense on grounds of waiver and collateral estoppel. The lender,...more

King & Spalding

New York Trial Court Holds that Strong Public Policy Commitment to Fair Lending Practices Defeats Loan Agreement’s Choice of Law...

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On September 5, 2023, a New York state court invalidated a loan agreement’s choice of law provision, ruling that the loan agreement was void and depriving the lender of both principal and interest payments. The lender, Samson...more

Freeman Law

Contracts and the Importance of Background Law

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Introduction Most people are relatively familiar with the importance of contracts when doing business or transferring property interests. They often rely on a general understanding of freedom of contract and the...more

Lowenstein Sandler LLP

Drafter Beware: Recent New York Decision Reaffirms the Continuing Vitality of Public Policy in Enforcing Choice-of-Law Provisions

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Every day, attorneys act as advisors to parties negotiating and drafting contracts. Among those terms often left to the lawyers are choice-of-law provisions. Which state’s law governs a dispute, in theory, should not...more

Freiberger Haber LLP

Is it A Usurious Loan or The Sale of a Receivable?

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By: Jeffrey M. Haber In our last article (here), we examined a choice-of-law provision that, if applied, would violate New York public policy concerning usurious loans. In that case, Virginia law, which does not prohibit...more

King & Spalding

Ninth Circuit Addresses Issue of First Impression Concerning the Usury Defense Under California Law

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On May 25, 2023, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, in a two-to-one split decision, held that an exemption to California’s usury laws for certain “aggregate” loan amounts applies only to indebtedness of a single...more

Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP

Michigan Supreme Court limits applicability of “usury savings clauses”

On June 23, the Michigan Supreme Court reversed a circuit court’s decision on a case involving Michigan’s “longstanding prohibition on excessive interest rates for certain loans.” The case involved a “usury savings clause,”...more

Troutman Pepper

Michigan Supreme Court Refuses to Enforce Usury Savings Clause in a Commercial Mortgage

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In Soaring Pine Capital Real Estate & Debt Fund II, LLC v. Park Street Group Realty Services, LLC, the Michigan Supreme Court considered whether a court may enforce a usury savings clause in a mortgage agreement. A usury...more

Lowndes

Know Your Rights: 5 Facts About Usury Laws in Florida

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Usury is the unlawful lending of money at unreasonably high rates of interest. So, what is unreasonable? And what happens if your loan goes beyond that amount?...more

Ballard Spahr LLP

California DFPI is Wrong on Both Law and Facts, per OppFi

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In its April 2023 Opposition to the California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation (DFPI) motion for preliminary injunction, Opportunity Financial, LLC (OppFi) presents a spirited riposte, drilling down into the...more

Troutman Pepper

Colorado Passes Legislation Seeking to Stop State-Chartered Banks from Preempting Colorado’s Usury Limit

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As discussed here, in April 2023, Colorado introduced HB 1229 that proposed to limit certain charges on consumer loans and simultaneously opt Colorado out of sections 521-523 of the Depository Institutions Deregulation and...more

Troutman Pepper

DC OAG Resolves Alleged Usury and Deceptive Acts Violations With Community Lending Platform

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On May 10, SoLo Funds, Inc. (Solo), one of the largest community lending platforms in the United States, entered into a settlement with the District of Columbia attorney general (OAG). The settlement resolves claims that the...more

Allen Matkins

Ninth Circuit Declines To Aggregate Loans For Usury Exemption

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California limits the amount of interest that may be charged on loans and forbearances.  While that is the general rule, there are numerous statutory exemptions.  One of those exemptions can be found in California...more

King & Spalding

California Appeals Court Refuses to Enforce Forum Selection Clause that Would Avoid Application of California Usury Statute

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On February 15, 2023, the California Court of Appeals reversed the dismissal of a case against a lender, in which the trial court held that a forum selection clause required the claim to be brought in Arizona. The appeals...more

Allen Matkins

California Court Of Appeal Says Forum Selection Clause Should Not Be Enforced In Usury Case

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Does California's usury limitations constitute a "strong public policy"?  Seemingly, that question was decided over a half-century ago by the First District Court of Appeal in Ury v. Jewelers Acceptance Corp., 227 Cal. App....more

Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP

4th Circuit affirms certification of class action in tribal lending case

On January 24, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit concluded that a district court did not abuse its discretion when certifying a class action. The lawsuit alleges an individual who orchestrated an online payday...more

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