As political tides shift, so too does the regulatory outlook for consumer financial services. Among the key documents that could shape the direction of U.S. financial regulation is a January 2021 report by the CFPB Taskforce...more
On the eve of a change in administration, the Biden/Chopra CFPB released a "Compendium of Recent CFPB Guidance," a sweeping collection of interpretations of federal consumer financial laws under the current leadership...more
1/23/2025
/ Advertising ,
Artificial Intelligence ,
Biden Administration ,
Chevron Deference ,
Compliance ,
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) ,
Data Security ,
Debt Collection ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Loper Bright Enterprises v Raimondo ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Unfair or Deceptive Trade Practices
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has proposed an interpretive rule aimed at addressing what it views as ambiguities in the application of the Electronic Fund Transfer Act (EFTA) and its implementing Regulation...more
1/23/2025
/ Consumer Financial Products ,
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Digital Assets ,
Digital Platforms ,
EFTA ,
Financial Services Industry ,
FinTech ,
Online Gaming ,
Online Marketplace ,
Payment Systems ,
Proposed Rules ,
Regulation E
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) issued a Request for Information (RFI) to gather insights on how companies offering financial products and services collect, use, and monetize consumer payment and personal...more
1/17/2025
/ Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) ,
Consumer Privacy Rights ,
Data Collection ,
Data Privacy ,
Data Protection ,
Financial Regulatory Reform ,
Financial Services Industry ,
FinTech ,
Monetization ,
Privacy Laws ,
Request For Information ,
Technology Sector
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) issued a proposed rule under Regulation AA to address the use of restrictive and coercive clauses in consumer financial contracts. This proposal seeks to prohibit terms in...more
1/17/2025
/ Compliance ,
Consumer Financial Contracts ,
Consumer Financial Products ,
Consumer Financial Protection Act (CFPA) ,
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) ,
Contract Terms ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Proposed Rules ,
Regulation A ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Restrictive Covenants ,
UDAAP ,
Unfair or Deceptive Trade Practices
The payments industry continues to evolve in response to the demand for flexible, fast, and secure payment options. Innovations have included payment facilitation, push-to-card services, and real time payments, among others....more
1/17/2025
/ Anti-Money Laundering ,
Compliance ,
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) ,
Consumer Protection Laws ,
Data Privacy ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Financial Services Industry ,
FinTech ,
Fraud ,
Merchants ,
Payment Processors ,
Payment Systems ,
Popular ,
Risk Management
On November 21, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) finalized a rule to supervise nonbank companies that offer digital wallets and payment apps. The rule allows the CFPB to supervise and examine nonbank companies...more
On September 18, the CFPB issued a set of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) related to Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) products. These FAQs follow the CFPB's release of the 2024 BNPL Interpretive Rule (Interpretive Rule), which...more
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) released a procedural rule updating its supervisory process for institutions seeking to appeal a compliance rating or an adverse finding. Although the appeals process remains...more
Consumer use of "buy now, pay later" (BNPL) products and programs has proliferated over the last few years. While federal oversight has not been extensive to date, new guidance from the Office of the Comptroller of the...more
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has proposed a rule to define a market for general-use digital consumer payment applications. Larger participants in this market would be subject to CFPB supervision and...more
11/15/2023
/ Consumer Financial Products ,
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) ,
Digital Assets ,
Digital Wallets ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Merchants ,
Mobile Apps ,
Multi-Factor Test ,
Nonbank Firms ,
p2p ,
Proposed Rules
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced it has reached a settlement with the bankrupt crypto company Voyager over the company’s alleged deceptive crypto marketing practices. Specifically, the FTC’s complaint alleges that...more
10/17/2023
/ Advertising ,
Banking Sector ,
Banks ,
Cease and Desist ,
Commercial Bankruptcy ,
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Deposit Insurance ,
False Advertising ,
FDIC ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
FTC Act ,
Gramm-Leach-Blilely Act ,
Settlement Negotiations
Large banks and credit unions must provide certain information to customers free of charge, such as account balances, transaction history, and fees, according to an advisory opinion issued by the Consumer Financial Protection...more
10/17/2023
/ Advisory Opinions ,
Banks ,
Biden Administration ,
Consumer Financial Protection Act (CFPA) ,
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) ,
Credit Unions ,
Excessive Fees ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Fees ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Hidden Fees ,
Supervisory Highlights
This week, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) released a Proposed Rule, “Rule on Unfair or Deceptive Fees.” The Proposed Rule comes after the FTC solicited comments through its Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking in...more
10/12/2023
/ Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRM) ,
Brick-and-Mortar Stores ,
Comment Period ,
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
E-Commerce ,
Fees ,
Goods or Services ,
Governor Newsom ,
New Legislation ,
Proposed Rules ,
Public Comment
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau ("CFPB" or "Bureau") recently published a Small Entity Compliance Guide (the "Guide") regarding Section 1071 of the Dodd-Frank Act, which amended ECOA to require that financial...more
6/13/2023
/ Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) ,
Consumer Lenders ,
Covered Entities ,
Dodd-Frank ,
ECOA ,
Fair Lending ,
Final Rules ,
Financial Institutions ,
Lenders ,
Reporting Requirements ,
SBA ,
Small Business
On February 27, 2023, the Supreme Court granted the certiorari petition of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) to hear a case that could cast doubt on all of the regulations that have been promulgated by the...more
When it comes to negative options, the CFPB has strong opinions. As demonstrated in its new circular, these opinions generally align with those of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), which has repeatedly targeted trial...more
Last week, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) proposed a rule to establish a public registry of terms and conditions in form contracts that purport to waive or limit consumer rights and protections.
The rule...more
The law surrounding negative option and continuity programs continues to evolve rapidly. Feeling a bit overwhelmed with the latest developments? Below is what you need to know in light of new laws, new enforcement actions,...more
1/19/2023
/ Automatic Renewals ,
Consent ,
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Enforcement Guidance ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Fees ,
GrubHub ,
New Legislation ,
ROSCA ,
Settlement ,
State Attorneys General ,
Subscription Services ,
Terms of Service ,
Website Design
Risk management personnel who underwrite e-commerce merchants should have some basic understanding of the types of online merchant marketing and sales practices that are deceptive and misleading....more
11/18/2022
/ Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Credit Reporting Agencies ,
E-Commerce ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Fees ,
Marketing ,
Payment Processors ,
Popular ,
Subscription Services ,
Surcharges ,
Unfair or Deceptive Trade Practices ,
Website Design ,
Websites
Through a new interpretive rule announced this week, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has declared that digital marketing providers can be held liable under the Consumer Financial Protection Act (CFPA)...more
8/15/2022
/ Advertising ,
Banks ,
Behavioral Advertising ,
Consumer Financial Products ,
Consumer Financial Protection Act (CFPA) ,
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) ,
Covered Entities ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Internet Marketing ,
Marketing ,
Nonbank Firms ,
UDAAP ,
Unfair or Deceptive Trade Practices
Although the concept is not new, challenges to “dark patterns” are rising all over the country. The Federal Trade Commission, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, state attorneys general, and class action plaintiffs...more
Anti-discrimination law applies to companies with black-box credit models using complex algorithms, according to a circular issued by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) on May 26, 2022. According to the CFPB, the...more
6/16/2022
/ Adverse Action ,
Algorithms ,
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) ,
Consumer Lenders ,
ECOA ,
Emerging Technologies ,
Fair Lending ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Machine Learning ,
UDAAP ,
Whistleblowers
The CFPB has opened a new Office of Competition and Innovation. The move comes "as part of a new approach to help spur innovation in financial services by promoting competition and identifying stumbling blocks for new market...more
The Consumer Finance Protection Bureau ("CFPB") announced that it will examine nonbank financial companies that pose risks to consumers, using statutory authority that until now had gone unused. Additional examinations would...more