In a move that could significantly impact the auto retail industry, California has introduced Senate Bill 766, known as the California Combating Auto Retail Scams (CARS) Act. Introduced by Senator Benjamin Allen (D) on...more
2/28/2025
/ Automotive Industry ,
California ,
Car Dealerships ,
CARS Rule ,
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Motor Vehicles ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Recordkeeping Requirements ,
Regulation ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Unfair or Deceptive Trade Practices
We are pleased to share our annual review of regulatory and legal developments in the consumer financial services industry. With active federal and state legislatures, consumer financial services providers faced a challenging...more
2/17/2025
/ Automotive Loans ,
Consumer Financial Products ,
Consumer Financial Protection Act (CFPA) ,
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) ,
Debt Collection ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Financial Institutions ,
Financial Regulatory Reform ,
Financial Services Industry ,
FinTech ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
TCPA ,
UDAAP ,
Uniform Commercial Code (UCC)
As part of a flurry of last minute regulatory activity by the Biden administration’s Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB or Bureau), on January 15, the CFPB published an advisory opinion in the Federal Register...more
1/23/2025
/ Advisory Opinions ,
Biden Administration ,
Consumer Financial Products ,
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) ,
Debt Collection ,
Earned Wage Access ,
Final Rules ,
Financial Regulatory Reform ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Payroll Deductions ,
Regulation Z ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Truth in Lending Act (TILA)
As the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB or Bureau) anticipates a shift in its leadership with the incoming administration of President Trump, the Bureau has released a report titled “Strengthening State-Level...more
1/16/2025
/ Consumer Financial Products ,
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) ,
Consumer Privacy Rights ,
Data Privacy ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Federal v State Law Application ,
Financial Regulatory Reform ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Hidden Fees ,
New Legislation ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Trump Administration
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB or Bureau) proposed a new rule aimed at banning certain contractual provisions in agreements for consumer financial products or services. The CFPB’s proposal targets certain...more
1/15/2025
/ Arbitration Agreements ,
Comment Period ,
Consumer Financial Contracts ,
Consumer Financial Products ,
Consumer Financial Protection Act (CFPA) ,
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) ,
Contract Terms ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Financial Regulatory Reform ,
Proposed Rules ,
Public Comment ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Small Business ,
Unfair or Deceptive Trade Practices
This week, New York became the latest state to introduce legislation aimed at regulating Earned Wage Access (EWA) services. Assembly Bill 258 titled — “An Act to Amend the Banking Law, in Relation to Providing for Income...more
1/10/2025
/ Consumer Financial Products ,
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Earned Wage Access ,
Financial Regulatory Reform ,
Financial Services Industry ,
New York ,
NYDFS ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Regulation Z ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Truth in Lending Act (TILA) ,
Wages
On November 13, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB or Bureau) released a pilot study titled “Matched-Pair Testing in Small Business Lending Markets” highlighting what the CFPB believes were two statistically...more
11/15/2024
/ Consumer Financial Products ,
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) ,
Disparate Impact ,
Disparate Treatment ,
ECOA ,
Financial Institutions ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Race Discrimination ,
Section 1071 ,
Small Business ,
Small Business Loans
On October 31, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals granted the appellants’ motion to expedite the appeal in Texas Bankers Association v. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). The suit...more
On October 4, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) and the Federal Reserve Board (Fed) announced increased dollar thresholds used to determine whether certain consumer credit and lease transactions in 2025 are...more
10/17/2024
/ Appraisal ,
Consumer Financial Products ,
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) ,
Consumer Price Index ,
Dodd-Frank ,
Exemptions ,
Financial Services Industry ,
FRB ,
Leases ,
Mortgages ,
Real Estate Transactions ,
Regulation Z ,
Threshold Requirements ,
Truth in Lending Act (TILA)
Monday, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas granted the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s (CFPB or Bureau) motion for summary judgment on all Administrative Procedure Act (APA) challenges brought...more
8/28/2024
/ Administrative Procedure Act ,
Constitutional Challenges ,
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) ,
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau v Community Financial Services Association of America Ltd ,
Data Collection ,
Dodd-Frank ,
Federal Funding ,
Final Rules ,
Financial Institutions ,
Financial Regulatory Reform ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Interim Final Rules (IFR) ,
Lenders ,
Preliminary Injunctions ,
SBA Lending Programs ,
Section 1071 ,
Small Business
Last week, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB or Bureau) issued a proposed interpretive rule opining that earned wage access (EWA) products — whether provided through employer partnerships or marketed directly to...more
7/22/2024
/ Borrowers ,
Consumer Financial Products ,
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) ,
Credit ,
Earned Wage Access ,
Financial Institutions ,
Financial Regulatory Reform ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Payday Loans ,
Proposed Rules ,
Regulation Z ,
Truth in Lending Act (TILA) ,
Wage and Hour ,
Wages
As discussed here, following the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Community Financial Services Association of America, Limited v. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB or Bureau), which upheld the CFPB’s funding...more
6/27/2024
/ Consumer Financial Products ,
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) ,
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau v Community Financial Services Association of America Ltd ,
Data Collection ,
Dodd-Frank ,
Final Rules ,
Financial Institutions ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Interim Final Rules (IFR) ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Section 1071 ,
Small Business
In this special episode, Brooke Conkle and Chris Capurso discuss a recently released circular from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) on consumer contracts. They are joined by special guest Caleb Rosenberg, who...more
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB or Bureau) has issued a circular warning covered persons that including unlawful or unenforceable terms and conditions in consumer contracts can violate the prohibition on...more
6/6/2024
/ Arbitration ,
Consent Order ,
Consumer Financial Contracts ,
Consumer Financial Products ,
Consumer Financial Protection Act (CFPA) ,
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) ,
Contract Terms ,
Covered Person ,
Financial Institutions ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Unenforceable Contract Terms ,
Unfair or Deceptive Trade Practices
Yesterday, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB or Bureau) issued an “interpretive rule,” subjecting “Buy Now, Pay Later” (BNPL) transactions to provisions of Regulation Z applicable to “credit cards.” Among other...more
5/23/2024
/ Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) ,
Consumer Financial Products ,
Consumer Financial Protection Act (CFPA) ,
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) ,
Consumer Lenders ,
Credit Cards ,
Debt Collection ,
Financial Regulatory Reform ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Interpretive Rule ,
Regulation Z ,
Truth in Lending Act (TILA)
As discussed here, last week the U.S. Supreme Court issued its long-awaited decision in Community Financial Services Association of America, Limited (CFSA) v. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB or Bureau) holding that...more
5/20/2024
/ Banks ,
Constitutional Challenges ,
Consumer Financial Products ,
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) ,
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau v Community Financial Services Association of America Ltd ,
Dodd-Frank ,
Federal Funding ,
Final Rules ,
Financial Institutions ,
Financial Services Industry ,
SCOTUS ,
Section 1071
On April 17, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB or Bureau) entered a consent order against BloomTech, a for-profit vocational school, and its CEO, Austen Allred, for deceptive marketing practices related to...more
Late last month, the Revenue Based Finance Coalition (RBFC), a trade group of sales-based financing providers, filed a complaint in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida challenging the Consumer...more
1/18/2024
/ Administrative Procedure Act ,
Consumer Financial Products ,
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) ,
Consumer Protection Act ,
Data Collection ,
Dodd-Frank ,
ECOA ,
Final Rules ,
Financial Institutions ,
Financial Regulatory Reform ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Section 1071
On December 22, Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen issued an opinion on whether Earned Wage Access (EWA) products constitute either “consumer loans” under Montana Code § 32-5-102(2)(a) or “deferred deposit loans” under §...more
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB or Bureau) released its 14th annual report to Congress in fulfillment of its requirements under the Credit Card Accountability Responsibility and Disclosure (CARD) Act. For the...more
12/21/2023
/ CARD Act ,
Colleges ,
Consumer Financial Contracts ,
Consumer Financial Products ,
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) ,
Consumer Lenders ,
Credit Cards ,
Educational Institutions ,
Financial Institutions ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Late Fees ,
New Regulations ,
Students ,
Universities
In March 2023, the California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation (DFPI) proposed new regulations under the California Financing Law that would update the definition of loan to include what it dubs as...more
12/7/2023
/ California ,
Consumer Financial Products ,
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) ,
Department of Financial Protection and Innovation (DFPI) ,
Employees ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Loans ,
New Regulations ,
Regulation Z ,
Truth in Lending Act (TILA) ,
Wage and Hour ,
Wages
On November 30, Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell announced proposed regulations that would require businesses to clearly disclose the total price of a product at the time it is presented to consumers,...more
12/5/2023
/ Advertising ,
Automatic Renewals ,
Comment Period ,
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) ,
Contract Renewal ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Fees ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Goods or Services ,
Marketing ,
Proposed Regulation
On November 13, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) and the Federal Reserve Board (Fed) announced increased dollar thresholds used to determine whether certain consumer credit and lease transactions in 2024 are...more
11/14/2023
/ Appraisal Rights ,
Consumer Financial Products ,
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) ,
Consumer Price Index ,
Credit ,
Dodd-Frank ,
Exemptions ,
Federal Reserve ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Financial Transactions ,
FRB ,
Leases ,
Mortgages ,
Regulation M ,
Regulation Z ,
Threshold Requirements ,
Truth in Lending Act (TILA)
On October 24, the Biden-Harris administration announced amendments to the regulations implementing title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA). According to the fact sheet, the amendments are intended to allow the...more
11/3/2023
/ Biden Administration ,
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) ,
Department of Education ,
Educational Institutions ,
Financial Aid ,
Financial Institutions ,
Higher Education Act ,
Public Comment ,
Statutory Requirements ,
Student Loans ,
Students ,
Title IV ,
Transcripts ,
Tuition
In a major victory for small business lenders, yesterday the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas granted motions filed by three groups of trade association intervenors to extend the court’s existing...more
10/30/2023
/ Administrative Agencies ,
Constitutional Challenges ,
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) ,
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau v Community Financial Services Association of America Ltd ,
Consumer Protection Act ,
Dodd-Frank ,
Federal Funding ,
Final Rules ,
Financial Institutions ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Injunctions ,
Preliminary Injunctions ,
Regulatory Authority ,
Section 1071 ,
Small Business ,
Small Business Loans