Yesterday, the New York City Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (NYC DCWP) announced another delay in the effective date of its amended debt collection rules. This marks the second postponement. As discussed here,...more
On July 14, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) secured a court order aimed at halting allegedly deceptive practices against seven companies and three individuals operating the “Accelerated Debt” program. The defendants...more
7/28/2025
/ Debt ,
Debt Collection ,
Debt-Relief Industry ,
Elder Abuse ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Excessive Fees ,
Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Fraud ,
Retirement ,
Scams ,
Telemarketing ,
Unfair or Deceptive Trade Practices
On May 22, Illinois House Bill 3352 passed the Illinois legislature and now awaits Governor JB Pritzker’s signature. This bill amends the Illinois Collection Agency Act to provide an individual a way to avoid liability for a...more
6/12/2025
/ Coercion ,
Consumer Privacy Rights ,
Damages ,
Debt ,
Debt Collection ,
Financial Regulatory Reform ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Fraud ,
Government Agencies ,
Illinois ,
New Legislation ,
Penalties ,
State and Local Government ,
Statutory Violations
Last week, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB or Bureau) submitted several regulatory proposals to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review. Among the rules under consideration are those related to...more
6/10/2025
/ Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) ,
Debt Collection ,
Dodd-Frank ,
Financial Institutions ,
Financial Regulatory Reform ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Mortgage Lenders ,
Mortgage Loan Originators ,
Mortgage Servicers ,
Mortgages ,
OMB ,
Proposed Rules ,
Regulation X ,
Regulation Z ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Oversight ,
Regulatory Reform
This week, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB or Bureau) released a memo to staff outlining its new supervision and enforcement priorities for 2025....more
4/18/2025
/ Banking Sector ,
Consumer Financial Products ,
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) ,
Debt Collection ,
Discriminatory Lending Practices ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) ,
Fair Lending ,
FDCPA ,
Financial Institutions ,
Financial Regulatory Reform ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Mortgages ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Supervisory Guidance ,
Trump Administration
On March 14, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit issued a ruling addressing the obligations of furnishers under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) to conduct reasonable investigations of disputed information,...more
In this final episode of our Year in Review series, Chris Willis is joined by colleagues David Anthony, Stefanie Jackman, and Jonathan Floyd to discuss the year in review and look ahead for debt collection. They provide...more
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)
In a recent decision, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit affirmed the dismissal of federal claims brought by a mortgagee against Trinity Financial Services, LLC (Trinity) under the Fair Debt Collection Practices...more
2/17/2025
/ Appeals ,
Attorney's Fees ,
Consumer Financial Products ,
Debt Collection ,
Emotional Distress Damages ,
FDCPA ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Foreclosure ,
Mortgages ,
Standing ,
Statutory Violations ,
Summary Judgment
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB or Bureau) requested and was granted a 90-day stay in the litigation involving trade associations Cornerstone Credit Union League (Cornerstone) and the Consumer Data Industry...more
2/10/2025
/ Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) ,
Consumer Reports ,
Debt Collection ,
Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) ,
Final Rules ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Medical Debt ,
Preliminary Injunctions ,
Regulation V ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Rulemaking Process ,
Stays
On February 4, Senators Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) introduced bipartisan legislation aimed at immediately capping credit card interest rates at 10% for a period of five years. This initiative follows a...more
This week, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit issued a decision reversing a summary judgment order in a Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) case. The court found that there were genuine issues of...more
1/31/2025
/ Appeals ,
Consumer Financial Products ,
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) ,
Debt Collection ,
Debt Collectors ,
Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) ,
FDCPA ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Summary Judgment ,
Unfair or Deceptive Trade Practices
As discussed here, in February 2023, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB or Bureau) launched the auto finance data pilot and issued nine market monitoring orders to three banks, three finance companies, and three...more
1/27/2025
/ Automotive Loans ,
Consumer Financial Products ,
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) ,
Consumer Lenders ,
Data Collection ,
Debt Collection ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Financial Institutions ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Lease Financing ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Repossess
In our previous post, we discussed the New York City Department of Consumer and Worker Protection’s (NYC DCWP) decision to delay the enforcement of the amended debt collection rules from December 1, 2024, to April 1, 2025....more
On January 7, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB or Bureau) finalized its rule aimed at removing an estimated $49 billion in medical bills from the consumer reports of approximately 15 million Americans....more
On December 16, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB or Bureau) released a special edition of its Supervisory Highlights, detailing a range of activities identified by CFPB examiners across the student loan...more
On December 10, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced that it is distributing more than $540,000 in refunds to victims of an abusive debt collector group. The debt collectors allegedly threatened consumers with...more
Earlier this month, we discussed the lawsuit filed by ACA International, LLC and Collection Bureau Services, Inc. in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia against the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB...more
Join Chris Willis and his colleague Stefanie Jackman as they delve into the recent amendments to New York City's debt collection rules. In this episode of The Consumer Finance Podcast, they discuss the significant changes,...more
On November 13, Representative Gary J. Palmer (R-AL) introduced House Joint Resolution 220, which seeks congressional disapproval of an advisory opinion published by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB or Bureau)...more
In our previous post, we discussed the New York City Department of Consumer and Worker Protection’s (NYC DCWP) decision to delay the enforcement of the amended debt collection rules from December 1, 2024, to April 1, 2025....more
Late last month, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) filed suit against Global Circulation, Inc. (GCI) and its owner for engaging in deceptive and abusive debt collection practices. According to the FTC, the Georgia-based debt...more
On November 1, the New York City Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (NYC DCWP) announced that the effective date for the amended debt collection rules has been officially moved to April 1, 2025....more
On November 1, ACA International, LLC and Collection Bureau Services, Inc. filed a lawsuit against the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB or Bureau) and Director Rohit Chopra, challenging the CFPB’s recent advisory...more
This week, we discussed the constitutional legal challenge against New York City’s recently amended debt collection rules, which were scheduled to go into effect on December 1, 2024. These rules would stringently regulate...more
10/23/2024
/ City of New York ,
Constitutional Challenges ,
Debt Collection ,
Debt Collectors ,
FDCPA ,
Financial Regulatory Reform ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Local Ordinance ,
New Rules ,
Preemption ,
Regulatory Requirements