On November 13, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau released a “pilot study” on the small business lending market revealing “significant disparities” in how lenders treat black and white small business owners. As part of...more
On November 12, the CFPB released a report analyzing federal and state-level privacy protections for consumer financial data.
The current federal framework for financial data privacy relies on the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act...more
On November 5, the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) filed a complaint against a company in connection with its mobile banking app, alleging violations of Section 5(a) of the FTC Act and Section 4 of the Restore Online...more
On November 7, 2024, the CFPB ordered one of the largest credit unions in the nation to pay over $95 million for its practices related to the imposition of overdraft fees. The enforcement action addresses practices from 2017...more
On October 31, the CFPB entered into a consent order with a Florida-chartered credit union for harming consumers in connection with the botched launch of a new online banking system, in violation of the Consumer Financial...more
On October 30, two leading fintech industry trade associations submitted comments (see comment letters here and here) in response to a joint Request for Information (RFI) issued by the Office of the Comptroller of the...more
11/4/2024
/ Banking Sector ,
Banks ,
FDIC ,
Financial Institutions ,
Financial Regulatory Agencies ,
Financial Regulatory Reform ,
Financial Services Industry ,
FinTech ,
OCC ,
Request For Information ,
Rulemaking Process
On October 3, the OCC issued Bulletin 2024-29, providing guidance for managing credit risk in connection with refinancing commercial loans.
The bulletin is directed at all banks with commercial loan portfolios, and...more
On September 24, the Governor of California signed AB 2017 (the “Act”) into law. The Act prohibits state-chartered banks and credit unions from charging consumers non-sufficient fund fees (“NSF fees”) when they initiate...more
On July 25, federal regulators issued a joint statement to further put banking organizations on notice of the inherent risks of collaborating with fintechs in offering deposit products and services. This guidance aims to...more
An Oklahoma-based bank has been hit with a consent order from the FDIC after posting significant losses in its first year of operation. On June 28, the FDIC announced that it took an enforcement action against the bank...more
On June 14, the Federal Reserve Board (Fed) released a cease and desist order against an Arkansas-based banking-as-a-service (BaaS) provider for compliance and risk management failures. As part of the order, the bank is...more
7/2/2024
/ Anti-Money Laundering ,
Bank Secrecy Act ,
Banking Sector ,
Banks ,
Board of Directors ,
Corporate Governance ,
Enforcement ,
Federal Reserve ,
Financial Institutions ,
FinTech ,
Noncompliance ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
Risk Management
Florida is one of several states that has enacted “de-banking” legislation that requires financial institutions to provide consumers with fair access to financial products and services. On May 3, Governor DeSantis signed into...more
On May 16, the Maryland Office of Financial Regulation (“OFR”) announced a settlement with a Missouri-based bank and its fintech partners for engaging in unlicensed lending, credit repair, and debt collection activities....more
On May 21, the Massachusetts Attorney General entered into an Assurance of Discontinuance (“AOD”) with a California-based fintech alleging that it was the “true lender” of its consumer installment loans. Under the terms of...more
On March 28, the FDIC released the spring edition of its consumer compliance supervisory highlights. The FDIC supervises approximately 3,000 state-chartered banks and thrifts that are not members of the Federal Reserve...more
5/13/2024
/ Banking Sector ,
Banks ,
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) ,
EFTA ,
Fair Lending ,
FDIC ,
Financial Institutions ,
Financial Regulatory Reform ,
Financial Services Industry ,
FinTech ,
FTC Act ,
Regulation E ,
Regulation Z ,
Section 5 ,
Truth in Lending Act (TILA)
On April 24, the CFPB released its latest edition of Supervisory Highlights detailing the agency’s actions taken to combat “junk fees” it alleges are charged by mortgage servicers. This spotlight on fees in mortgage servicing...more
On March 28, the Federal Reserve (Fed) issued a cease-and-desist order to a Wyoming-based bank holding company, citing deficiencies identified in a September 2023 inspection related to its “fintech business strategy, board...more
4/22/2024
/ Bank Holding Company ,
Banking Sector ,
Banks ,
Business Strategies ,
Cease and Desist Orders ,
Enforcement ,
Financial Services Industry ,
FinTech ,
Regulatory Oversight ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Risk Management
On March 25, Washington State became the latest in a growing list of jurisdictions to introduce a “true lender” law with the passing of bill SB 6025. The legislation, similar to laws in other states would characterize a...more
On March 21, Wisconsin enacted into law Assembly Bill 574, positioning it as the third state, following Nevada and Missouri, to establish a comprehensive regulatory framework for earned wages access (EWA) services and...more
4/1/2024
/ Banking Sector ,
Earned Wage Access ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Labor Regulations ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Licensing Rules ,
New Legislation ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
State and Local Government ,
State Labor Laws ,
Wage and Hour ,
Wisconsin
On March 25, a coalition of trade groups filed suit in the United States District Court for the District of Colorado, challenging a Colorado law which would have opted the state Section 521 of the Depository Institutions...more
On March 6, the CFPB finalized its credit card late fee rule (previously discussed here) aimed at ensuring that late fees charged on consumer credit card accounts are “reasonable and proportional.” The rule amends Regulation...more
In the latest development to challenges to the CFPB’s 1071 rulemaking, plaintiff trade associations, including the American Bankers Association and the Texas Bankers Association, have filed a motion for summary judgment...more
On February 22, California Attorney General Rob Bonta sent letters to 197 state-charted banks and credit unions warning them that certain fees they charge may constitute “unfair” business practices under California’s Unfair...more
On January 30, a Tennessee-based community bank entered into a consent order with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. following the agency’s allegations that the Bank engaged in unsafe or unsound banking practices relating to...more
On February 15, Senators Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Jack Reed (D-RI) and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) sent a letter to Zelle seeking clarification of its reimbursement policy for victims of imposter scams. Calling its protocol for...more
2/26/2024
/ Banking Sector ,
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) ,
Credit Unions ,
Electronic Payment Transactions ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Financial Transactions ,
Money Services Business ,
Reimbursements ,
Scams ,
Senate Banking Committee ,
Zelle