On July 8, 2025, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit vacated the FTC’s “click-to-cancel” Negative Option Rule, holding that the FTC violated the FTC Act and the Administrative Procedure Act when it finalized the...more
On April 30, the FTC filed a stipulated order for a permanent injunctive relief and a monetary judgment against a Georgia-based debt collection company and its owner, which the court granted on May 9, to resolve allegations...more
On April 30, 2025, the FTC filed an amended complaint and final order in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia against a debt collection company in connection with allegations that the company engaged...more
5/9/2025
/ Consent Order ,
Consumer Protection Laws ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Debt Collection ,
Enforcement Actions ,
FDCPA ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
GLBA Privacy ,
Penalties ,
Settlement ,
UDAAP ,
Unfair or Deceptive Trade Practices
On March 27, the FTC announced that a fintech company offering cash advances through a mobile app has agreed to pay $17 million to resolve allegations that it violated the FTC Act and the Restore Online Shoppers’ Confidence...more
3/31/2025
/ Consent ,
Consumer Protection Laws ,
Enforcement Actions ,
False Advertising ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
FinTech ,
Mobile Apps ,
ROSCA ,
Settlement ,
Subscription Services ,
UDAAP ,
Unfair or Deceptive Trade Practices
In a March 10 blog post, the new Director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection (BCP) reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to enforcing consumer protection laws through Civil Investigation Demands (CIDs).
A CID is a...more
In a March 10 blog post, the new Director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection (BCP) reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to enforcing consumer protection laws through Civil Investigation Demands (CIDs)....more
On March 13, New York Attorney General Letitia James announced the introduction of the Fostering Affordability and Integrity through Reasonable Business Practices Act (FAIR Business Practices Act). The proposed legislation...more
3/24/2025
/ Artificial Intelligence ,
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) ,
Consumer Protection Laws ,
Debt Collection ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Proposed Legislation ,
State Attorneys General ,
Student Loans ,
Technology Sector ,
Unfair or Deceptive Trade Practices
The CFPB has recently dismissed two more enforcement actions—one against a major credit reporting agency and another against a lease-to-own financing provider. Both lawsuits involved allegations of abusive, unfair, and...more
3/17/2025
/ Consumer Financial Products ,
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Fair Lending ,
False Advertising ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Fraud ,
Preliminary Injunctions ,
Small Business Loans ,
Telemarketing Sales Rule ,
UDAAP ,
Unfair or Deceptive Trade Practices
On February 19, 2025, President Donald Trump signed an executive order (the “Order”) mandating that independent agencies, including the SEC, the FCC, and the FTC, submit proposed regulations for presidential review before...more
On January 24, 2025, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals struck down an FTC rule aimed at curbing deceptive advertising and sales practices in the auto industry. The rule, which sought to prohibit certain “junk fees” and...more
2/3/2025
/ Administrative Procedure Act ,
Advertising ,
Automotive Industry ,
Compliance ,
Consumer Protection Laws ,
Enforcement Actions ,
False Advertising ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Fees ,
Final Rules ,
Rulemaking Process ,
Scams ,
Unfair or Deceptive Trade Practices
On December 30, the Department of Justice (DOJ), at the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) referral, filed an amended complaint against an online cash advance provider. The complaint now names the company’s CEO as a defendant,...more
1/6/2025
/ Amended Complaints ,
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) ,
Consumers ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Enforcement Actions ,
False Marking ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Fees ,
FinTech ,
FTC Act ,
Merchant Cash Advance (MCA) ,
Popular
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 October 16, the FTC announced that it has finalized its “click to cancel” rule, that will require sellers to make it much easier for consumers to cancel subscriptions. The final rule is part of the FTC’s ongoing review of...more
On September 13, the CFPB filed a complaint against a nonbank corporation and its CEO, alleging that the company engaged in deceptive and abusive acts through misleading advertising and unjustified, exorbitant fees related to...more
9/16/2024
/ CEOs ,
Consumer Financial Protection Act (CFPA) ,
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) ,
Credit Cards ,
Enforcement ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Misleading Statements ,
Nonbank Firms ,
Subscription Services ,
Truth in Lending Act (TILA) ,
Unfair or Deceptive Trade Practices
On July 29, the FTC filed a stipulated order settling claims against an online career-training company on the grounds that it engaged in deceptive advertising. In addition to injunctive relief barring the company from...more
On July 11, the Federal District Court for the Middle District of Florida granted the FTC’s request for a temporary restraining order against operators of a debt relief enterprise that unlawfully charged consumers illegal...more
On June 28, the FTC announced it had filed an action in federal court against a California-based student debt relief enterprise for deceptive practices, including unlawfully obtaining advance fees for debt relief, and...more
On May 13, the FTC’s amendment to the Safeguards Rule relating to the reporting of data breaches and security incidents, which were announced in October of 2023, became effective. As a reminder, the FTC’s Safeguards Rule...more
5/20/2024
/ Car Dealerships ,
Consumer Privacy Rights ,
Cyber Incident Reporting ,
Cybersecurity ,
Data Breach ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Mortgage Lenders ,
Non-Bank Lenders ,
Notification Requirements ,
Payday Loans ,
Personal Information ,
Privacy Laws ,
Rulemaking Process ,
Safeguards Rule
On May 1, the FTC announced a settlement in federal court in the Northern District of Georgia against a payment processing company, along with its former CEO and senior vice president, for the company’s role in handling...more
On April 25, the FTC took action against a Washington-based bill payment company and its two co-founders alleging that the company used misleading search ads to impersonate consumers’ billers and deceptive design practices to...more
On March 29, the CFPB and the FTC jointly filed an amicus brief with the Eleventh Circuit in a matter involving a dispute under the Fair Credit Reporting Act. The case involves a consumer who filed disputes with a consumer...more
4/8/2024
/ Amicus Briefs ,
Class Action ,
Consumer Financial Products ,
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) ,
Consumer Reporting Agencies ,
Data Collection ,
Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Investigations ,
Sensitive Personal Information
On March 7, the FTC announced it had finalized substantial revisions to the Telemarketing Sales Rule (the proposed rule was discussed here). Since promulgated in 1995, the TSR has been amended four times, most recently in...more
3/18/2024
/ B2B Organizations ,
Do Not Call List ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Misleading Statements ,
Proposed Rules ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Robocalling ,
Scams ,
Telemarketing ,
Telemarketing Sales Rule
On February 29, the CFPB issued a circular warning digital comparison-shopping websites and lead generators that practices that steer customers to certain financial products or services based on compensation received from...more
On February 6, the FTC announced that it had reached proposed settlements with several defendants in a pending action where the parties were accused of operating a fraudulent student debt relief scheme and collecting...more
On January 18, the FTC issued a consent order prohibiting a digital platform and data aggregator from selling or licensing precise consumer location data on the grounds that it did not obtain consumer consent before...more