The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) recently announced the conforming loan limits for residential mortgage loans acquired by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac in 2024. Fannie Mae addresses the limits in Lender Letter 2023-09.

As was expected based on the continuing increase in housing prices, the limits increased significantly. The standard loan limit for a one-unit home increased from $726,200 in 2023 to $766,550 for 2024.… Continue Reading

The CFPB recently approved an application (Application) from the Independent Community Bankers Association (ICBA) for alternative disclosures under the Truth in Lending Act (TILA)/Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA) Integrated Disclosure (TRID) rule for construction-to-permanent loans. The Application is for a Trial Disclosure Program Waiver Template (TDP Waiver Template).… Continue Reading

On November 21, the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) approved in a 3-0 vote a resolution authorizing the use of compulsory process in nonpublic investigations involving products and services that involve or claim to involve artificial intelligence (AI). 

Compulsory process is akin to a subpoena, and it allows the FTC to request the production of information, documents, or testimony relevant to an investigation. … Continue Reading

On November 27, 2023, the California Privacy Protection Agency (CPPA) published proposed Automated Decision-Making Rules to be discussed by the CCPA board at its upcoming meeting on December 8, 2023.  While the proposed rules are far from final—indeed, they are not even official draft rules—they signal that the CPPA is considering rules that would have significant impact on businesses subject to the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA).… Continue Reading

The U.S. Supreme Court has scheduled oral argument for January 17, 2024 in the two cases in which the question presented is whether the Court should overrule its 1984 decision in Chevron, U.S.A., Inc. v. Nat. Res. Def. Council, Inc.  That decision produced what became known as the “Chevron framework”–the two-step analysis that courts typically invoke when reviewing a federal agency’s interpretation of a statute.… Continue Reading

In October 2023, the FTC issued a proposed “Rule on Unfair or Deceptive Fees” targeting what the FTC refers to as “junk fees.”  Our special guest is Stacy Cammarano, Staff Attorney in the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection, Division of Advertising Practices, and a lead attorney on the proposal.  After reviewing how the FTC has previously used its enforcement authority to address “junk fees,” we discuss some of the key issues identified in comments received by the FTC on its October 2022 Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on “junk fees.” … Continue Reading

This is our second blog post on the final rule issued on October 24, 2023 by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency amending their regulations implementing the Community Reinvestment Act (“CRA”) (the “Final Rule”). … Continue Reading

Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser announced a recent agreement between Florida-based debt management company Touchstone Partners, Inc. and the Colorado Department of Law in resolution of Touchstone’s violations of the Colorado Debt Management Services Act (DMSA). Under the agreement, Touchstone is to refund over $110,000 in fees collected from consumers.

The DMSA requires debt management companies to include consumer protections in their agreements and specifically requires companies to provide an agreement signed by both parties.… Continue Reading

Switching from his usual role as frequent host of the Consumer Finance Monitor Podcast, Alan Kaplinsky, Senior Counsel in and former Practice Group Leader of Ballard Spahr’s Consumer Financial Services Group, was recently the special guest of Bloomberg Intelligence analysts Elliott Stein and Nathan Dean on their podcast, Votes and Verdicts. … Continue Reading

On November 16th, the Federal Communications Commission (“FCC”) and Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) announced new independent initiatives regarding the use and implications of AI technologies on consumers in the context of telephone and voice communications.  These initiatives align with the recent Executive Order on Artificial Intelligence and show federal regulators’ expanding focus on existing and anticipated AI issues.… Continue Reading