In a surprising turn of events, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB or Bureau) and Townstone Financial, Inc. (Townstone) have jointly moved to vacate the Stipulated Final Judgment and Order previously entered in...more
3/28/2025
/ Biden Administration ,
Consumer Financial Products ,
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) ,
Discriminatory Lending Practices ,
ECOA ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Financial Institutions ,
Financial Services Industry ,
First Amendment ,
Redlining ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Settlement Agreements ,
Stipulated Judgment ,
Trump Administration ,
Vacated
In a significant policy shift under the Trump administration, the new Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) Director Bill Pulte issued an order on March 25, 2025 terminating special purpose credit programs (SPCPs) supported...more
3/28/2025
/ Banks ,
Consumer Financial Products ,
ECOA ,
Equal Access to Credit ,
Fair Housing Act (FHA) ,
Fannie Mae ,
FHFA ,
Financial Institutions ,
Financial Regulatory Reform ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Freddie Mac ,
GSE ,
Housing Market ,
HUD ,
Lenders ,
Mortgages ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Trump Administration
We are pleased to share our annual review of regulatory and legal developments in the consumer financial services industry. With active federal and state legislatures, consumer financial services providers faced a challenging...more
2/17/2025
/ Automotive Loans ,
Consumer Financial Products ,
Consumer Financial Protection Act (CFPA) ,
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) ,
Debt Collection ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Financial Institutions ,
Financial Regulatory Reform ,
Financial Services Industry ,
FinTech ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
TCPA ,
UDAAP ,
Uniform Commercial Code (UCC)
In a dramatic series of events, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB or Bureau) has undergone leadership changes, signaling a significant shift in its regulatory approach. These changes began with the firing of...more
2/11/2025
/ Administrative Appointments ,
Constitutional Challenges ,
Consumer Financial Products ,
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) ,
Dodd-Frank ,
Financial Regulatory Reform ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Regulatory Agencies ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Trump Administration
In this third episode of the Year in Review series of The Consumer Finance Podcast, host Chris Willis is joined by Lori Sommerfield, a partner in Troutman Pepper Locke’s Consumer Financial Services Practice Group, to discuss...more
Hours before a scheduled hearing yesterday, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB or Bureau) filed an “Emergency Notice” in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit with respect to the ongoing litigation...more
2/4/2025
/ Administrative Procedure Act ,
Consumer Financial Products ,
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) ,
Data Collection ,
Dodd-Frank ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Final Rules ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Lending ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Rulemaking Process ,
Section 1071 ,
Small Business ,
Small Business Loans ,
UDAAP
Last week, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB or Bureau) released its latest Supervisory Highlights report, focusing on the use of advanced technologies in credit scoring models. ...more
1/22/2025
/ Artificial Intelligence ,
Consumer Financial Products ,
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) ,
Credit Scores ,
Data Privacy ,
Data Protection ,
Discriminatory Lending Practices ,
ECOA ,
Fair Lending ,
Financial Institutions ,
Financial Services Industry ,
FinTech ,
Machine Learning ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Risk Management
On January 7, the National Credit Union Administration (NCUA) released its supervisory priorities for 2025, outlining the key areas of focus for federally insured credit unions. This guidance is crucial for credit unions as...more
1/21/2025
/ Consumer Financial Products ,
Consumer Financial Protection Act (CFPA) ,
Credit Cards ,
Credit Unions ,
Cybersecurity ,
Fair Lending ,
Financial Institutions ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Loans ,
NCUA ,
Overdraft Fees ,
Risk Management ,
Supervisory Guidance
On January 15, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB or Bureau) released a blog post highlighting the growing efforts by financial institutions to serve consumers with limited English proficiency (LEP). However,...more
This week, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB or Bureau) released its semiannual regulatory agenda, outlining its planned rulemaking initiatives. This agenda includes a mix of rules in the pre-rulemaking, proposed...more
12/19/2024
/ Consumer Financial Products ,
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) ,
EFTA ,
Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) ,
Financial Regulatory Reform ,
Financial Services Committee ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Overdraft Fees ,
PACE ,
Payment Processors ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Oversight ,
Rulemaking Process
Join host Chris Willis and guests Lori Sommerfield and Joseph Reilly in this episode of The Consumer Finance Podcast as they delve into the CFPB's recent study on differential treatment in small business lending. Discover the...more
On November 13, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB or Bureau) released a pilot study titled “Matched-Pair Testing in Small Business Lending Markets” highlighting what the CFPB believes were two statistically...more
11/15/2024
/ Consumer Financial Products ,
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) ,
Disparate Impact ,
Disparate Treatment ,
ECOA ,
Financial Institutions ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Race Discrimination ,
Section 1071 ,
Small Business ,
Small Business Loans
In a significant development, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB or Bureau) has finally reached a settlement with Townstone Financial, Inc. (Townstone) in the first redlining case brought against a nonbank...more
11/6/2024
/ Consumer Financial Products ,
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) ,
Discriminatory Lending Practices ,
ECOA ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Fair Lending ,
Financial Institutions ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Loan Applications ,
Mortgage Lenders ,
Race Discrimination ,
Redlining ,
Settlement
On October 31, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals granted the appellants’ motion to expedite the appeal in Texas Bankers Association v. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). The suit...more
On October 29, New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin and the state’s Division on Civil Rights (DCR) released a report detailing the findings of a multi-year investigation into Republic First Bank (Republic) and its...more
11/1/2024
/ Banks ,
Consumer Financial Products ,
Discriminatory Lending Practices ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Fair Lending ,
Financial Institutions ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Mortgage Lenders ,
Mortgages ,
Race Discrimination ,
Real Estate Transactions ,
Redlining
On October 15, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB or Bureau) and the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced that they reached a settlement with Fairway Independent Mortgage Corporation (Fairway). This settlement...more
10/18/2024
/ Consumer Financial Products ,
Consumer Financial Protection Act (CFPA) ,
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Discriminatory Lending Practices ,
ECOA ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Fair Lending ,
Financial Institutions ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Loan Applications ,
Mortgage Lenders ,
Race Discrimination ,
Redlining ,
Settlement
On October 10, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced a landmark redlining settlement with Citadel Federal Credit Union (Citadel), marking the first such agreement with a credit union in the DOJ’s history. This...more
10/14/2024
/ Consumer Financial Products ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Discriminatory Lending Practices ,
ECOA ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Equal Access to Credit ,
Fair Housing Act (FHA) ,
Fair Lending ,
Financial Institutions ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Loans ,
Mortgages ,
Race Discrimination ,
Redlining ,
Statutory Violations
On September 17, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB or Bureau) published Circular 2024-05 (Circular) addressing whether a financial institution violates the Electronic Fund Transfer Act (EFTA) and Regulation E by...more
9/19/2024
/ ATMs ,
Consumer Financial Products ,
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) ,
Electronic Fund Transfer Act ,
Financial Institutions ,
Financial Regulatory Reform ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Opt-In ,
Overdraft Fees ,
Overdraft Rule ,
Popular ,
Regulation E
Last week, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB or Bureau) announced it had entered into a consent order with NewDay USA, a Florida-based non-bank direct mortgage lender, over allegations that the lender misled...more
9/3/2024
/ Consent Order ,
Consumer Financial Products ,
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) ,
Consumer Lenders ,
Delinquent Borrowers ,
Department of Veterans Affairs ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Financial Institutions ,
Financial Regulatory Reform ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Mortgage Lenders ,
Mortgages ,
Refinancing ,
Veterans
Last week, the Biden-Harris Administration launched a comprehensive initiative aimed at addressing what it describes as everyday hassles that waste Americans’ time and money. This new government-wide effort, called “Time Is...more
8/19/2024
/ Biden Administration ,
Consumer Financial Products ,
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) ,
FCC ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Financial Institutions ,
Financial Regulatory Reform ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Jurisdiction ,
Membership Agreements ,
Proposed Rules ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Subscription Services ,
Telecommunications
This week, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB or Bureau) issued Circular 2024-04 warning financial institutions about the potential illegality of nondisclosure agreements (NDAs) that could deter whistleblowing....more
7/26/2024
/ CFTC ,
Confidentiality Agreements ,
Consumer Financial Products ,
Consumer Financial Protection Act (CFPA) ,
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) ,
Consumer Lenders ,
Dodd-Frank ,
Financial Institutions ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Non-Disclosure Agreement ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB or Bureau) recently released its semi-annual regulatory agenda, outlining its planned rulemaking initiatives. The CFPB releases regulatory agendas twice a year in voluntary...more
7/22/2024
/ Consumer Financial Products ,
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) ,
Consumer Lenders ,
Delinquent Borrowers ,
Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) ,
Final Rules ,
Financial Institutions ,
Financial Regulatory Reform ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Loss Mitigation ,
Mortgage Lenders ,
Mortgage Servicers ,
Mortgage Servicing Rules ,
Mortgages ,
Nonbank Firms ,
Proposed Rules ,
Regulation AA ,
Regulation X ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Rulemaking Process
Last week, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB or Bureau) filed a brief in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas in support of its motion to dissolve the preliminary injunction that has stayed...more
7/22/2024
/ Article III ,
Consumer Financial Products ,
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) ,
Consumer Lenders ,
Credit Cards ,
Debt Collection ,
Final Rules ,
Financial Institutions ,
Financial Regulatory Reform ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Late Fees ,
Motion to Dismiss ,
Motion to Dissolve ,
Motion to Transfer ,
Preliminary Injunctions ,
Proposed Rules ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Standing
As discussed here, on February 3, 2023, an Illinois federal court dismissed a case brought by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB or Bureau) in 2020 against Townstone Financial, Inc., a Chicago mortgage lender, for...more
7/15/2024
/ Consumer Financial Products ,
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) ,
Consumer Lenders ,
Discriminatory Lending Practices ,
ECOA ,
Financial Institutions ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Mortgage Lenders ,
Mortgages ,
Regulation B ,
Statutory Violations
On July 2, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB or Bureau) published the summer edition of its Supervisory Highlights, focusing on examinations of auto and student loan servicing companies and debt collectors that...more