The federal banking agencies have proposed on May 19, 2026 the most significant overhaul of the CAMELS supervisory rating system in nearly 30 years, signaling a major philosophical shift in bank supervision under the Trump Administration. The proposal, issued by the Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council (“FFIEC”), would revise the Uniform Financial Institutions Rating System (“UFIRS”) to place greater emphasis on material financial risks and less emphasis on process-oriented supervisory criticisms.… Continue Reading

As recently predicted in our May 8, 2026 blog, a new cert petition was filed on May 22, 2026 in Cantero v. Bank of America, asking the U.S. Supreme Court to revisit, again, the increasingly important question whether the National Bank Act preempts state laws requiring national banks to pay interest on mortgage escrow accounts.… Continue Reading

We are proud to announce that podcast database service Million Podcasts has ranked Ballard Spahr’s Consumer Finance Monitor podcast among the top business and financial services podcasts in the country.

Most recently, Million Podcasts ranked Consumer Finance Monitor as the number one podcast in its Top 70 Pennsylvania Business Podcasts list.… Continue Reading

President Donald Trump has nominated John Crews to serve on the NCUA board. If confirmed, Crews would replace Kyle Hauptman as the sole board member of the agency.

Hauptman’s term expired in August 2025, but he has stayed on the board as permitted by section 102(c) of the Federal Credit Union Act, which allows any board member to continue to serve after the expiration of their term until a successor has qualified.… Continue Reading

On May 29, 2026, Governor Abigail Spanberger vetoed Virginia’s closely watched class action legislation, preserving Virginia’s status as one of only two states in the country (the other one being Mississippi) without a general state-court class action procedure. The veto halts what would have been a major shift in Virginia civil litigation and consumer protection law.… Continue Reading

On May 1, 2026, the CPFB published in the Federal Register the revised Small Business Data Collection Rule, or “1071 Rule” (the “2026 Final Rule”), which it had proposed revising in November 2025. The 2026 Final Rule becomes effective June 30, 2026, although as discussed below, the compliance date is January 1, 2028.… Continue Reading

President Donald Trump issued another significant Executive Order affecting the financial services industry, this time directed at integrating financial technology innovation more directly into the U.S. regulatory framework. The Executive Order, entitled “Integrating Financial Technology Innovation into Regulatory Frameworks,” was signed on May 19, 2026 and appears designed to accelerate the integration of fintech firms, digital asset providers, and other non-bank innovators into the traditional banking and payments system.… Continue Reading

Kevin Warsh will be sworn in as the new Chairman of the Federal Reserve Board on May 22.  He replaces Jerome Powell.

Warsh was confirmed on a 55-45 roll call vote on May 13. All Republicans and one Democrat, Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa. voted in favor of the nomination. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y.,… Continue Reading

Artificial intelligence is rapidly transforming consumer financial services and countless other industries. As AI systems become more autonomous, adaptive, and deeply integrated into commercial decision-making, courts, regulators, and industry participants are increasingly confronting a critical question: when AI causes harm, who should be held responsible?

In our latest episode of our award-winning, weekly Consumer Finance Monitor Podcast, our host Alan Kaplinsky (the founder, Chair for 25 years, and now Senior Counsel of our Consumer Financial Services at Ballard Spahr LLP) had the pleasure of speaking with Mark Geistfeld, the Sheila Lubetsky Birnbaum Professor of Civil Litigation at New York University School of Law and the reporter for the American Law Institute’s groundbreaking new project, Principles of the Law, Civil Liability for Artificial Intelligence.… Continue Reading

On Friday, May 15, 2026, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) issued two final rules on national banks’ and federal savings associations’ real estate lending powers related to mortgage escrow accounts. The actions codify a rule reflecting longstanding OCC precedent on mortgage escrow account powers and finalize the proposed preemption rule regarding interest-on-escrow laws, both of which the Second Circuit relied upon in its recent decision in Cantero v.… Continue Reading