Consumer Finance Monitor Podcast Episode: Should Medical Debt Be Included in Creditworthiness Measures?
Keeping Up With the Bureau Episode 3: Evolving Federal and State Requirements for Furnishers and Users of Consumer Reports - The Consumer Finance Podcast
The CFPB recently issued a blog post, highlighting debt collection impacts on surviving spouses. In the blog, the CFPB warns that debt collectors who try to collect on a spouse’s medical bills from a survivor, who is not...more
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (“CFPB”) is poised to take medical debt off the table for creditors when evaluating a consumer’s eligibility for credit. As it is currently enacted, Regulation V of the Fair Credit...more
On June 11, the CFPB released a proposed rule to ban obtaining or using medical information for credit eligibility determinations. Specifically, the proposed rule would amend the FCRA to remove the medical financial...more
On June 11, the CFPB announced a proposed rule amending Regulation V, which implements the Fair Credit Reporting Act, to alter the treatment of medical debts in credit reporting. The rule proposes to remove medical bills from...more
On June 11, 2024, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) issued a proposed rule that would generally prohibit lenders from considering medical debt information when determining a consumer’s eligibility for credit,...more
On April 15, the Minnesota House of Representatives passed the Commerce Policy Omnibus bill, which includes key provisions of the Minnesota Debt Fairness Act. Minnesota AG Keith Ellison supports this bill and celebrated its...more
On April 2, the California Senate Judicial Committee passed Senate Bill 1061. The bill seeks to prevent health care providers and contracted collection agencies from providing information about patients’ medical debt to...more
Welcome to the Credit Reporting chapter of our annual report Consumer Financial Services 2023 Year in Review. Looking Ahead to 2024 - The CFPB’s announcement of a proposed rulemaking to remove medical bills from...more
The CFPB announced last week that it has entered into a consent order with Commonwealth Financial Systems, Inc. (Commonwealth), a third-party debt collection company that collects past-due medical debts and furnishes...more
On November 16, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB or Bureau) released its Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) Annual Report detailing the CFPB’s 2022 activities related to debt collection practices. This...more
In September, the New York City Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (DCWP) requested comment on proposed amendments to its rules relating to debt collectors, which could significantly change the requirements and...more
To keep you informed of recent activities, below are several of the most significant federal and state events that have influenced the Consumer Financial Services industry over the past week...more
Over the last year and a half, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has become increasingly interested in the origination, servicing, and collection of medical debt. The CFPB alone has published several pieces of...more
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) is currently considering a rulemaking to address various consumer reporting topics under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) and has released an Outline of Proposals and...more
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) is moving forward with a rulemaking proposal to change the process of reporting medical debt on consumer credit reports. Specifically, the rulemaking proposal the Bureau...more
Please join Consumer Financial Services Partner Ethan Ostroff and his guests and colleagues Alan Wingfield, Chris Capurso, and Derek Schwahn in the third episode of a special four-part series on recent developments with the...more
A New Student Loan Company is Now Taking Over the Accounts of Public Servants Seeking Debt Cancellation "This also comes as borrowers have 4 months left to apply for extended student-loan relief." Why this is important:...more
Medical service providers who engage in medical billing, debt collection, and credit reporting are the focus of new regulations and regulatory enforcement efforts. Civil litigation is sure to follow. Under the direction of...more
White House Activity Surrounding Medical Debt - On April 11, 2022, the White House announced plans in line with a recent government focus on medical debt and credit reporting that could impact medical providers, the...more
On March 1, 2022, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) issued a report titled Medical Debt Burden in the United States (Report) highlighting the complicated and burdensome nature of the medical billing system in...more
On March 18, the three nationwide consumer reporting agencies — Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion (NCRAs) — announced plans to change how medical debt will be reported on credit reports. The joint measures will result in the...more
On March 11, U.S. Representative Patrick McHenry (R-NC) reintroduced a bill to amend the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA). H.R. 1645, the Protecting Consumer Access to Credit Act, would remove from a consumer’s credit report...more
A Maine federal district court ruled that that two 2019 amendments to Maine’s credit reporting law are preempted by the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act and granted the motion for judgment filed by the plaintiff, the...more
Critics have attacked Sen. Bernie Sanders for his proposal to wipe out $81 billion in medical debt, including by changing rules around debt collection and bankruptcy. He also called for “replacing the giant credit reporting...more
The CFPB recently issued its monthly report of consumer complaints and turned its focus back to debt collection. The Report is a high level snapshot of trends in consumer complaints and provides a summary of the volume of...more