In a recent unpublished memorandum opinion in a putative class action, Carpenter et al. v. Opportunity Financial, LLC, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit upheld an arbitration clause in an agreement governing...more
After its passage by the Washington state legislature, Substitute Senate Bill (SSB) 6025, the Washington “predatory loan prevention act”, was approved by Governor Jay Inslee on March 25, 2024, with an effective date of June...more
Maryland has joined the ranks of states considering legislation that would codify elements of “true lender” theory in an effort to impose federally preempted state licensing requirements and rate caps on loans to Maryland...more
District of Columbia Council Bill B 25-0609, which would opt out of Section 27 of the Federal Deposit Insurance Act (“FDIA”) with respect to loans made in the District of Columbia, was introduced in the District of Columbia...more
12/27/2023
/ Consumer Financial Products ,
DIDMCA ,
FDIA ,
Financial Regulatory Reform ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Interest Rates ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Loans ,
National Bank Act ,
Opt-Outs ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
True Lender
Providers of consumer financial services that rely on federal preemption to charge customers uniform interest rates and fees on a nationwide basis are currently facing a series of legislative and litigation challenges. In...more
12/21/2023
/ Banking Sector ,
Certiorari ,
Chevron Deference ,
Dodd-Frank ,
FDIC ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Interest Rates ,
National Bank Act ,
OCC ,
Preemption ,
SCOTUS ,
State Banks ,
True Lender
Florida SB 146, a bill that would add a “Predatory loan prevention” section to the Florida Consumer Finance Act has been introduced in the Florida Senate, seeking to curb bank-model lending programs and codify a “true lender”...more
11/16/2023
/ Consumer Financial Products ,
Consumer Protection Laws ,
Financial Regulatory Reform ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Lenders ,
Lending Programs ,
Loans ,
Predatory Lending ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
True Lender
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
Earlier this month, in Fama v. Opportunity Financial LLC, a Magistrate Judge of the federal district court for the Western District of Washington held that the arbitration provision in OppFi’s installment loan agreement is...more
10/27/2023
/ Arbitration Agreements ,
Consumer Contracts ,
Consumer Financial Products ,
Creditors ,
Debtors ,
Department of Financial Protection and Innovation (DFPI) ,
Federal Arbitration Act ,
Financial Services Industry ,
FinTech ,
Installment Agreements ,
Loan Agreements ,
Opt-Outs ,
Putative Class Actions ,
RICO ,
True Lender
In January 2023, a federal district court in Texas dismissed Michael v. Opportunity Financial, LLC, a putative class action filed in June 2022 claiming that fintech Opportunity Financial, LLC (OppFi), not its out-of-state,...more
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
In a motion for a preliminary injunction and accompanying memorandum of points and authorities, the California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation (DFPI) is asking a California state court to order fintech...more
Opportunity Financial LLC (OppFi) has filed a cross-complaint against the Commissioner of California’s Department of Financial Protection and Innovation (DFPI), asserting that the DFPI’s reliance on the so-called “true lender...more
A California state court has overruled the demurrer filed by Opportunity Financial, LLC (OppFi) to the cross-complaint filed by the California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation (DFPI) in which OppFi asked the...more
The California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation (DFPI) has filed its opposition to Opportunity Financial, LLC’s (OppFi) Demurrer to the DFPI’s cross-complaint. In the Demurrer, OppFi asks the California trial...more
The California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation (DFPI) has filed its opposition to Opportunity Financial, LLC’s (OppFi) Demurrer to the DFPI’s cross-complaint. In the Demurrer, OppFi asks the California...more
In response to the complaint filed by Opportunity Financial, LLC (OppFi) seeking to block the California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation (DFPI) from applying California usury law to loans made through...more
Opportunity Financial, LLC (OppFi) has filed a Complaint for Declaratory and Injunctive Relief in a California state court against the California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation (DFPI), seeking to block the...more
As discussed in our earlier blog, the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee held a hearing on April 28, 2021 entitled “The Reemergence of Rent-a-Bank?”....more
On Wednesday, April 28, the Senate Banking Committee will hold a hearing, “The Reemergence of Rent-a-Bank?” ...more
On January 5, 2021, the Attorneys General of New York, California, Colorado, the District of Columbia, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, and North Carolina filed a voluminous Complaint in federal district court for the...more
The OCC has issued a final rule to address when a national bank or federal savings association should be considered the “true lender” in the context of a partnership with a third party. The final rule, adopted only 54 days...more
We recently published a blog about the OCC’s proposed rule “National Banks and Federal Savings Associations as Lenders” (the “Proposed Rule”), which would clarify that a bank (or savings association) is properly regarded as...more
10/13/2020
/ Banking Sector ,
Bright-Line Rule ,
Dodd-Frank ,
FDIC ,
Federal Savings Associations ,
Financial Services Industry ,
FinTech ,
OCC ,
Proposed Rules ,
Rulemaking Process ,
True Lender ,
Usury ,
Valid When Made Doctrine
Ballard Spahr LLP has submitted a comment letter to the OCC in support of its proposed rule, “National Banks and Federal Savings Associations as Lenders” (the “Proposed Rule”)....more
We have previously blogged about the lawsuits filed by the Colorado Attorney General against fintechs Avant and Marlette Funding and their partner banks WebBank and Cross River Bank. These lawsuits challenged on Madden and...more
In an order issued August 12, 2020, the United States District Court for the District of Colorado relied on the OCC’s “Madden fix” rule to hold that, under Section 27 of the Federal Deposit Insurance Act, 12 U.S.C. § 1831d, a...more