For years, UK-based consumer finance and payments firms have viewed the U.S. regulatory landscape as complex, fragmented, and challenging when it comes to expansion. But 2025 may prove to be a turning point....more
State attorneys general (AGs) have long played a significant role in consumer protection enforcement, often acting as frontline regulators alongside federal agencies. For consumer financial services companies, an AG...more
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
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 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 FDIC has issued a proposed rule that would apply to practically all bank-fintech arrangements that use custodial deposit accounts to provide customers with transactional features (also called "FBO" accounts for short)....more
9/19/2024
/ Banking Sector ,
Banks ,
Comment Period ,
Compliance ,
Deposit Accounts ,
Depository Institutions ,
FBOs ,
FDIC ,
Financial Services Industry ,
FinTech ,
Proposed Rules ,
Recordkeeping Requirements ,
Reporting Requirements
Listen to Episode 7 of our podcast, the Ad Law Tool Kit Show. In this episode, partners Ellen Berge and Andrew Bigart talk to host Len Gordon about payment processing. Check out the episode....more
Listen to Episode 7 of our podcast, the Ad Law Tool Kit Show. In this episode, partners Ellen Berge and Andrew Bigart talk to host Len Gordon about payment processing. Check out the episode....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
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
Besides being a shock to the market, the 2023 bank failures caused many to ask whether the federal banking agencies had done enough to prevent them. Precisely what the agencies should have done, or should do moving forward,...more
9/13/2023
/ Banking Sector ,
Banks ,
BSA/AML ,
Compliance ,
Enforcement Priorities ,
Federal Reserve ,
Financial Crisis ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Proposed Regulation ,
Silicon Valley ,
Supervision
Larger banking organizations directly affected by the U.S. federal banking agencies' recent proposed capital rule have been busy analyzing the substantial changes, increased costs, and other requirements and effects that have...more
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
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
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 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
The laws and rules governing automatic renewal programs continue to change on a regular basis. Over the past year, the Federal Trade Commission has announced a number of settlements and lawsuits enforcing the federal Restore...more
2/15/2022
/ Automatic Renewals ,
Consumer Contracts ,
Debit and Credit Card Transactions ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Financial Services Industry ,
New Legislation ,
Payment Processors ,
ROSCA ,
Subscription Services ,
Webinars
The explosion in Buy-Now-Pay-Later (BNPL) has caught the eyes of lawmakers and regulators, who are taking a closer look at this booming industry.
BNPL payment offers allow consumers to purchase goods or services now and...more