Ending speculation and uncertainty about whether new leadership at the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) would repeal or continue to defend the agency’s Negative Option Rule, which regulates offerings such as autorenewal of...more
3/21/2025
/ Auto-Renewal ,
Consumer Protection Laws ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
FTC Act ,
Negative Option Rule ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Rulemaking Process ,
Subscription Services ,
Unfair or Deceptive Trade Practices
For years, UK-based consumer finance and payments firms have viewed the U.S. regulatory landscape as complex, fragmented, and challenging when it comes to expansion. But 2025 may prove to be a turning point....more
State attorneys general (AGs) have long played a significant role in consumer protection enforcement, often acting as frontline regulators alongside federal agencies. For consumer financial services companies, an AG...more
Venable's AdLaw Symposium is back!
Please join us in our Washington, DC, headquarters for this highly anticipated event focused on providing you with the information you need to promote your brand with confidence....more
3/7/2025
/ Advertising ,
Artificial Intelligence ,
Auto-Renewal ,
Best Practices ,
Beverage Manufacturers ,
Chief Compliance Officers ,
Data Privacy ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Events ,
False Advertising ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Fees ,
Food Manufacturers ,
Greenwashing ,
Legal Ethics ,
Marketing ,
NAD ,
Pricing ,
Privacy Laws ,
Risk Mitigation ,
State Regulators ,
Subscription Services
As political tides shift, so too does the regulatory outlook for consumer financial services. Among the key documents that could shape the direction of U.S. financial regulation is a January 2021 report by the CFPB Taskforce...more
On the eve of a change in administration, the Biden/Chopra CFPB released a "Compendium of Recent CFPB Guidance," a sweeping collection of interpretations of federal consumer financial laws under the current leadership...more
1/23/2025
/ Advertising ,
Artificial Intelligence ,
Biden Administration ,
Chevron Deference ,
Compliance ,
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) ,
Data Security ,
Debt Collection ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Loper Bright Enterprises v Raimondo ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Unfair or Deceptive Trade Practices
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has proposed an interpretive rule aimed at addressing what it views as ambiguities in the application of the Electronic Fund Transfer Act (EFTA) and its implementing Regulation...more
1/23/2025
/ Consumer Financial Products ,
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Digital Assets ,
Digital Platforms ,
EFTA ,
Financial Services Industry ,
FinTech ,
Online Gaming ,
Online Marketplace ,
Payment Systems ,
Proposed Rules ,
Regulation E
Last Friday in a 2-1 order, the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals rejected an initial challenge to the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) Negative Option Rule. The challengers had asked the court to stay the Rule from taking...more
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) issued a Request for Information (RFI) to gather insights on how companies offering financial products and services collect, use, and monetize consumer payment and personal...more
1/17/2025
/ Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) ,
Consumer Privacy Rights ,
Data Collection ,
Data Privacy ,
Data Protection ,
Financial Regulatory Reform ,
Financial Services Industry ,
FinTech ,
Monetization ,
Privacy Laws ,
Request For Information ,
Technology Sector
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) issued a proposed rule under Regulation AA to address the use of restrictive and coercive clauses in consumer financial contracts. This proposal seeks to prohibit terms in...more
1/17/2025
/ Compliance ,
Consumer Financial Contracts ,
Consumer Financial Products ,
Consumer Financial Protection Act (CFPA) ,
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) ,
Contract Terms ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Proposed Rules ,
Regulation A ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Restrictive Covenants ,
UDAAP ,
Unfair or Deceptive Trade Practices
The payments industry continues to evolve in response to the demand for flexible, fast, and secure payment options. Innovations have included payment facilitation, push-to-card services, and real time payments, among others....more
1/17/2025
/ Anti-Money Laundering ,
Compliance ,
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) ,
Consumer Protection Laws ,
Data Privacy ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Financial Services Industry ,
FinTech ,
Fraud ,
Merchants ,
Payment Processors ,
Payment Systems ,
Popular ,
Risk Management
This week, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) issued its long-awaited Final Rule on Unfair or Deceptive Fees. When the FTC released the proposed rule over a year ago, the rule covered any business that offered goods or...more
On November 21, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) finalized a rule to supervise nonbank companies that offer digital wallets and payment apps. The rule allows the CFPB to supervise and examine nonbank companies...more
As we previewed last week, industry and trade groups wasted no time in filing challenges against the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) Final Negative Option Rule....more
By a 3-2 vote, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced its Final Negative Option Rule that covers negative option programs for both consumer and B2B transactions in any media, including online, telephone, print, and...more
Since July 1, when California’s “Honest Pricing Law” or “Hidden Fees Statute” became effective, the plaintiffs’ bar has filed more than a dozen complaints alleging violations of the statute....more
10/3/2024
/ Class Action ,
Consent ,
Convenience Fees ,
Credit Card Surcharges ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Fee Disclosure ,
Fees ,
Hidden Fees ,
Price Transparency ,
Processing Fees ,
Product Pricing ,
Retailers ,
State Attorneys General ,
Surcharges
On September 18, the CFPB issued a set of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) related to Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) products. These FAQs follow the CFPB's release of the 2024 BNPL Interpretive Rule (Interpretive Rule), which...more
The FDIC has issued a proposed rule that would apply to practically all bank-fintech arrangements that use custodial deposit accounts to provide customers with transactional features (also called "FBO" accounts for short)....more
9/19/2024
/ Banking Sector ,
Banks ,
Comment Period ,
Compliance ,
Deposit Accounts ,
Depository Institutions ,
FBOs ,
FDIC ,
Financial Services Industry ,
FinTech ,
Proposed Rules ,
Recordkeeping Requirements ,
Reporting Requirements
On July 25, 2024, the federal banking agencies issued a joint statement flagging potential risks in bank-fintech arrangements, along with a request for public information (RFI) on the benefits, risks, and risk management...more
7/31/2024
/ Banking Sector ,
Comment Period ,
Compliance ,
Federal Bank Regulatory Agencies ,
Financial Institutions ,
FinTech ,
Joint Statements ,
Public Comment ,
Request For Information ,
Risk Assessment ,
Risk Management
In a monumental opinion issued today, the U.S. Supreme Court in Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo overruled Chevron U.S.A. Inc. v. Natural Resources Defense Council, Inc., holding (6-3) that deference to an agency's...more
7/1/2024
/ Administrative Procedure Act ,
Chevron Deference ,
Chevron v NRDC ,
Constitutional Challenges ,
Government Agencies ,
Judicial Authority ,
Loper Bright Enterprises v Raimondo ,
National Marine Fisheries Service ,
Regulatory Authority ,
Relentless Inc v US Department of Commerce ,
SCOTUS ,
Stare Decisis ,
Statutory Interpretation ,
Unconstitutional Condition
One of the questions that remains uncertain among looming federal and state “junk fee” and “drip pricing” bans in 2024 concerns the impact these rules will have on credit card surcharges. Surcharges are added to sale...more
5/20/2024
/ Consumer Financial Products ,
Credit Card Surcharges ,
Credit Cards ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Fees ,
Hidden Fees ,
MasterCard ,
Merchants ,
NYDFS ,
Surcharges ,
Visa Inc
Late last week, the California attorney general released Frequently Asked Questions regarding California’s “Honest Pricing Law” or “Hidden Fees Statute,” which will take effect July 1, 2024. The law is anticipated to have a...more
Telephone and text message marketing poses private litigation risks and regulatory hurdles that should be considered before any campaign. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), and...more
State attorneys general (AGs) are the chief legal officers of their states or territories and can bring actions to protect the “public interest” in almost any area of law. They represent the state government and the general...more
Listen to Episode 7 of our podcast, the Ad Law Tool Kit Show. In this episode, partners Ellen Berge and Andrew Bigart talk to host Len Gordon about payment processing. Check out the episode....more