Biden Makes It Easier for Student Loan Borrowers to Get a Mortgage -
"The new rule supported by the Biden administration proposed that FHA lenders drop the requirement to calculate student loan payments at 1%."
Why this is...more
8/25/2021
/ Biden Administration ,
Blackberry ,
Connected Cars ,
Consumer Financial Products ,
Credit Scores ,
False Claims Act (FCA) ,
Financial Institutions ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Mortgages ,
Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) ,
Student Loans ,
TCPA
The T-Mobile Data Breach is One You Can’t Ignore -
"Hackers claim to have obtained the data of 100 million people—including sensitive personal information."
Why this is important: Earlier this week, reports began...more
8/18/2021
/ Artificial Intelligence ,
Biden Administration ,
Biometric Information ,
Biometric Information Privacy Act ,
Bitcoin ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Cybersecurity ,
Data Breach ,
Data Privacy ,
Data Protection ,
Hackers ,
Insurance Industry ,
Robocalling ,
Trademarks
President Biden Extends Pause on Student Loan Payments to 2022 -
"Student loan payments have been paused since Congress passed the CARES Act in March of last year but were due to resume in September."
Why this is...more
Bye-Bye, Bitcoin: It's Time to Ban Cryptocurrencies -
"International banking officials say cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin are speculative assets, not sustainable, usable money."
Why this is important: This opinion piece...more
8/5/2021
/ 3D Printing ,
Big Tech ,
Biometric Information ,
Biotechnology ,
Bitcoin ,
Blockchain ,
China ,
CRISPR ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Department of Energy (DOE) ,
Digital Currency ,
Facial Recognition Technology ,
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ,
Novartis ,
Patents ,
Personal Information ,
Supply Chain ,
Technology Sector ,
USPTO
Yellen Tells Regulators to ‘Act Quickly’ on Stablecoin Rules -
"New rules would cut into profit margins earned by issuers, but in the long-run should help them attract more users."
Why this is important: The recent...more
Video - NFTs are Not Tulips! (Or are They?) -
Have questions about just what exactly is an NFT? In this video, Spilman Thomas & Battle attorneys Brandon Hartman, Hugh Wellons, and Risa Katz-Albert briefly discuss what an...more
7/22/2021
/ Algorithms ,
Big Tech ,
Communications Decency Act ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Digital Assets ,
Facial Recognition Technology ,
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) ,
Local Ordinance ,
Nanotechnology ,
Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) ,
Privacy Concerns ,
Section 230 ,
Technology Sector ,
USPS
Mobile Payment App Complaints are Surging as More Americans Go Cashless -
"Top complaints include trouble with digital wallets, scams and customer service issues."
Why this is important: Roughly four in five Americans...more
Court Redirects Most Ring LLC Privacy Litigation Plaintiffs to Arbitration
"In the complaint, the plaintiffs alleged that Ring’s security systems were defectively designed without sufficient security protocols, leaving...more
7/8/2021
/ Artificial Intelligence ,
Biotechnology ,
CRISPR ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Cybersecurity ,
Nanotechnology ,
Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) ,
Ransomware ,
Research and Development ,
Standing ,
Technology Sector ,
TransUnion LLC v Ramirez
Federal Hearings Seek to Reverse Trump-Era Student Loan Rules -
"The revisions include strengthening protections for borrowers harmed by misleading practices by their college."
Why this is important: Student loan debt...more
Humana Sued Over Wrongful Records Access Data Breach -
"Louisville, Ky.-based Humana is being sued over a data breach last fall that exposed the personal information of about 65,000 of its health plan members, according...more
TCPA CLASS COUNSEL LOSES MILLIONS: $60MM+ Class Recovery Looks to be Down the Tubes as Eleventh Circuit Finds No Insurance Coverage for TCPA Suit -
"The policy at issue has an exclusion for claims 'arising out of'...more
6/18/2021
/ Article III ,
Attorney's Fees ,
Debt Collection ,
Debt Relief ,
Eviction ,
FDCPA ,
FHFA ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Injury-in-Fact ,
Standing ,
Student Loans ,
TCPA
PA Health Dept Sued; Investigation Looms, After Contact Tracing Breach
"The PA health dept. is being sued, after employees of its vendor Insight Global set up an unsecured channel to share COVID-19 contact tracing data,...more
5/27/2021
/ China ,
Contact Tracing ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
CRISPR ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Cybersecurity ,
Data Protection ,
Driverless Cars ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Financial Institutions ,
Medical Devices ,
Popular ,
Ransomware ,
Technology Sector
Consumer Watchdog Group Issues Policy to Strengthen National Eviction Moratorium -
"Since the eviction moratorium has been in effect, housing advocates and renters have said a lack of enforcement has led to landlords...more
5/19/2021
/ Capital Gains Tax ,
Congressional Investigations & Hearings ,
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) ,
Credit Reporting Agencies ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Eviction ,
FDCPA ,
Moratorium ,
Mortgages ,
Oral Argument ,
SCOTUS ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
TransUnion ,
TransUnion LLC v Ramirez
4 Ways to Boost Blockchain in Consumer Finance -
"Plenty of executives and industry leaders in the blockchain space are looking for clarity on financial regulation."
Why this is important: The recent MIT FinTech...more
Gas Stations Run Dry as Pipeline Races to Recover From Hacking -
"Gas stations along the U.S. East Coast are beginning to run out of fuel as North America’s biggest petroleum pipeline races to recover from a paralyzing...more
5/14/2021
/ Coal ,
Coal Industry ,
Coal Mines ,
Coal-Fired Generation ,
CPUC ,
Energy Sector ,
Environmental Policies ,
FERC ,
Natural Gas ,
Oil & Gas ,
Petroleum ,
Pipelines ,
Renewable Energy
Digital Dollar Project to Launch Five U.S. Central Bank Digital Currency Pilots -
"A partnership between Accenture and the Digital Dollar Foundation, the Digital Dollar Project was created last year to promote research...more
5/12/2021
/ Biometric Information ,
Biometric Information Privacy Act ,
Bitcoin ,
Blockchain ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
CRISPR ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Digital Assets ,
Digital Currency ,
FinTech ,
Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs)
Data Breach at New England’s Largest Energy Provider -
"A misconfiguration error has exposed personal data belonging to customers of New England's largest energy provider."
Why this is important: New England's largest...more
5/4/2021
/ Biotechnology ,
Blockchain ,
Carbon Emissions ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Cyber Attacks ,
Cybersecurity ,
Data Breach ,
Data Privacy ,
Data Protection ,
Internet of Things ,
Vaccinations
Three Ways the Legislature Has Redefined Consumer Litigation in West Virginia -
The regular legislative session recently ended in West Virginia, and once again our Legislature has amended the West Virginia Consumer Credit...more
The regular legislative session recently ended in West Virginia, and once again our Legislature has amended the West Virginia Consumer Credit and Protection Act, one of the primary statutes under which consumers sue...more
Supreme Court Rules in Google’s Favor in Copyright Dispute with Oracle Over Android Software -
After the Supreme Court's April 6 decision in Google LLC v. Oracle America, Inc., 141 S.Ct. 1183 (2021), the computer software...more
4/21/2021
/ Biotechnology ,
Bitcoin ,
Coinbase ,
Computer Programmers ,
Consumer Financial Products ,
Consumer Privacy Rights ,
Copyright ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Digital Currency ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
FinTech ,
Google ,
Hackers ,
Initial Public Offering (IPO) ,
Java ,
Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) ,
Oracle v Google ,
Software ,
Startups ,
State Privacy Laws
Consumer Complaints to the CFPB for 2020 Up 54 Percent Over Previous Year -
"The CFPB handled about 542,300 complaints last year – a nearly 54 percent increase over the 352,400 complaints handled in 2019."
Why this is...more
Binance Probed by CFTC Over Whether U.S. Residents Traded -
"Binance, which has an office in Singapore but says it lacks a single corporate headquarters, hasn’t been accused of misconduct and the investigation may not lead...more
4/1/2021
/ 3D Printing ,
Blockchain ,
CFTC ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Cybersecurity ,
Data Breach ,
Data Collection ,
FinTech ,
Popular ,
Technology Sector ,
Trade Secrets
World's Largest Coal Miner Coal India Bets on Solar, Eyes Further Mine Closures -
"Pramod Agarwal said its joint venture with state-run NLC India Ltd plans to invest around 125 billion rupees ($1.73 billion) in solar...more
Biden Administration to Cancel $1 Billion in Student-Loan Debt Held by Scammed Borrowers -
“Borrowers who requested loan forgiveness but got only partial relief under former Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos will have...more
3/24/2021
/ Banking Sector ,
CARES Act ,
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) ,
Credit Reports ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Loan Forgiveness ,
Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) ,
PayPal ,
Relief Measures ,
Student Loans ,
TCPA
State of Crypto: It’s Time to Talk About NFTs and Intellectual Property Law -
"NFTs are all the rage right now, but buyers and sellers should be aware of the different regulatory frameworks that might govern these assets." ...more
3/18/2021
/ 3D Printing ,
Anti-Money Laundering ,
Artificial Intelligence ,
BitMEX ,
Copyright ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Cybersecurity ,
Digital Assets ,
Hackers ,
IRS ,
Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs)