Saying it wants to protect consumers from unfair, deceptive or anticompetitive practices, the Transportation Department on Sept. 5 launched an investigation into the rewards programs operated by the nation’s four largest...more
Rewards programs drive consumer choice and activity in connection with credit cards and other financial services. The CFPB has reported the most important element by far that influences a consumer’s decision to apply for a...more
The CFPB’s latest focus on consumer fees is targeting payment processors for school lunches. The CFPB says that families who choose to purchase school lunches are being forced to pay fees to companies that process their...more
8/6/2024
/ Consumer Financial Products ,
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) ,
Consumer Lenders ,
Fees ,
Financial Institutions ,
Financial Regulatory Reform ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Public Schools ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
School Districts ,
School Lunch Programs
On July 18, 2024, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (the “CFPB” or “Bureau”) proposed an interpretive rule that states (1) EWA products fall under the definition of “credit” under the Truth in Lending Act (“TILA”) and...more
7/25/2024
/ Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) ,
Comment Period ,
Consumer Financial Products ,
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) ,
Consumer Lenders ,
Credit ,
Financial Institutions ,
Financial Regulatory Reform ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Interpretive Rule ,
Loans ,
Payday Loans ,
Regulation Z ,
Truth in Lending Act (TILA) ,
Wage and Hour ,
Wages
A Florida law that prohibits federal and state depository institutions conducting business in the state from denying services based on religion or political beliefs and activities went into effect on July 1....more
7/18/2024
/ Banks ,
Consumer Financial Products ,
Discriminatory Lending Practices ,
Financial Institutions ,
Financial Regulatory Agencies ,
Financial Regulatory Reform ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Florida ,
New Legislation ,
Religious Beliefs ,
Religious Discrimination ,
Unfair or Deceptive Trade Practices
Federal and state regulators risk stifling competition as they continue to develop a regulatory regime for fintech relationships with financial institutions, witnesses told a House subcommittee last week....more
California frequently is in the vanguard of consumer financial issues and legislation, foreshadowing trends that may spread to other states. Today’s episode, during which we explore important hot topics and recent...more
After several years of monitoring and reporting on artificial intelligence (AI) in financial services, the U.S. Department of Treasury (Treasury) has embarked on initial rulemaking efforts and issued a request for information...more
6/27/2024
/ AML/CFT ,
Anti-Money Laundering ,
Artificial Intelligence ,
BSA/AML ,
Consumer Financial Products ,
Financial Institutions ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Machine Learning ,
Non-Discrimination Rules ,
Request For Information ,
Risk Management ,
U.S. Treasury ,
UDAAP
On April 25, 2024, California’s Department of Financial Protection and Innovation (“DFPI”) released its Annual Report of Activity Under the California Consumer Financial Protection Law for 2023 (“Annual Report”). The Annual...more
On May 21, 2024, South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster signed into law the Earned Wage Access Services Act (the “Act”), which will require earned wage access (“EWA”) providers to register annually with the state’s Department...more
5/31/2024
/ Consumer Financial Products ,
Earned Wage Access ,
EFTA ,
Electronic Fund Transfer Act ,
Financial Institutions ,
Financial Regulatory Reform ,
Financial Services Industry ,
New Regulations ,
Payday Loans ,
Wage and Hour ,
Wages
On May 20, 2004, the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) sent its annual report to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (“CFPB”) highlighting its enforcement actions and initiatives in 2023 under the Truth in Lending Act...more
5/30/2024
/ Annual Reports ,
CARS Rule ,
Consumer Financial Products ,
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) ,
Consumer Leasing Act (CLA) ,
Consumer Lenders ,
Dodd-Frank ,
Electronic Fund Transfer Act ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Financial Institutions ,
Financial Regulatory Reform ,
Financial Services Industry ,
FTC Act ,
Late Fees ,
Proposed Amendments ,
Proposed Rules ,
Regulation Z ,
Truth in Lending Act (TILA) ,
Unfair or Deceptive Trade Practices
Our special guest is Ian Moloney, Senior Vice President and Head of Policy and Regulatory Affairs with the American Fintech Council (AFC). After reviewing how EWA products are used by consumers and the differences between...more
On March 26, 2024, the plaintiffs in the lawsuit challenging the CFPB’s final credit card late fee rule (“Final Rule”) filed a Notice Regarding Their Emergency Motion for Injunction Pending Appeal and Administrative Stay in...more
3/28/2024
/ Appeals ,
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 ,
Litigation Strategies ,
Motion to Transfer ,
Preliminary Injunctions ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Truth in Lending Act (TILA)
On March 20, 2024, the court forcefully denied the motion for expedited consideration of plaintiff’s preliminary injunction motion in the lawsuit challenging the Consumer Financial Bureau’s (“CFPB”) final credit card late fee...more
3/22/2024
/ 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 Transfer ,
Preliminary Injunctions ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Truth in Lending Act (TILA)
This week, the CFPB filed a notice with the Texas federal district court stating that it intends to move to transfer the lawsuit challenging the CFPB’s final credit card late fee rule (Rule). The notice was filed pursuant to...more
3/21/2024
/ 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 Transfer ,
Preliminary Injunctions ,
Regulatory Agenda
The federal district court judge to whom the lawsuit challenging the CFPB’s final credit card late fee rule (Rule) was reassigned entered an order this week questioning whether the Fort Worth Division of the Northern District...more
3/20/2024
/ 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 Transfer ,
Preliminary Injunctions ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Truth in Lending Act (TILA)
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (“CFPB”) filed an opposition brief (the “Opposition”) on Tuesday in response to a request by plaintiff trade groups to enjoin the CFPB’s final credit card late fee rule (the “Final...more
3/18/2024
/ Administrative Procedure Act ,
CARD Act ,
Consumer Financial Products ,
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) ,
Consumer Lenders ,
Credit Cards ,
Debt Collection ,
Federal Student Loans ,
Final Rules ,
Financial Institutions ,
Financial Regulatory Reform ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Health and Essential Rights (HERO) Act ,
Late Fees ,
Motion To Enjoin ,
Preliminary Injunctions ,
Truth in Lending Act (TILA)
On March 5, 2024, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (“CFPB”) issued its final credit card late fee rule (the “Final Rule”). The timing for publication of the final rule was widely perceived as coordinated with the...more
3/12/2024
/ Consumer Financial Products ,
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) ,
Credit Cards ,
Financial Institutions ,
Financial Regulatory Reform ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Late Fees ,
Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NOPR) ,
NPRM ,
Preliminary Injunctions ,
Proposed Rules ,
Regulation Z ,
Regulatory Agenda
After gaining popularity during the pandemic, Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) has become a ubiquitous form of credit used by millions of consumers to purchase goods and services, particularly in e-commerce transactions. In a...more
Our special guest is Richard (“Rick”) Hackett, former Assistant CFPB Director responsible for auto finance regulation and presently a member of the Board of F&I Sentinel, which supports lender compliance in the auto finance...more
Our special guest is Richard (“Rick”) Hackett, former Assistant CFPB Director responsible for auto finance regulation and presently a member of the Board of F&I Sentinel, which supports lender compliance in the auto finance...more
Democratic Senator Sherrod Brown, who chairs the Senate Banking Committee, and Democratic committee members Raphael Warnock and John Fetterman, have sent a letter to Director Chopra urging the CFPB to “continue focusing on”...more
The CFPB has issued a proposed rule to supervise nonbank companies that qualify as larger participants in a market for “general-use digital consumer payment applications.” Comments on the proposal are due by January 8, 2024...more
11/9/2023
/ Consumer Financial Products ,
Consumer Financial Protection Act (CFPA) ,
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Digital Assets ,
Digital Wallets ,
EFTs ,
Financial Institutions ,
Financial Regulatory Reform ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Mobile Payments ,
Money Transfer ,
Nonbank Firms ,
Payment Systems ,
Proposed Rules ,
Regulation E ,
Small Business
In a lengthy (65-page) order, the California Superior Court in Los Angeles has issued an extremely important decision upholding the legitimacy of bank-model online lending by denying a motion for preliminary injunction filed...more
11/3/2023
/ California ,
Consumer Financial Products ,
Department of Financial Protection and Innovation (DFPI) ,
Financial Institutions ,
Financial Services Industry ,
FinTech ,
Loans ,
Online Marketplace Lending ,
Popular ,
Preliminary Injunctions ,
True Lender
As we have previously reported on this blog and discussed on our Consumer Finance Monitor Podcast, last year, the CFPB embarked on a campaign orchestrated by the Biden Administration to eliminate “junk fees.” ...more
10/12/2023
/ Advisory Opinions ,
Consumer Financial Products ,
Consumer Financial Protection Act (CFPA) ,
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) ,
Credit Unions ,
Fees ,
Financial Institutions ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Insufficient Funds ,
Regulation X ,
UDAAP