On February 7, 2024, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit affirmed the district court’s Order granting a motion for judgment on the pleadings and holding that a charged-off loan made by a lender licensed under the Consumer Discount Company Act (“CDCA”) that is subsequently sold to a third-party debt collector is no longer subject to the CDCA and collecting on the debt without holding a CDCA license is not in and of itself a violation of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (“FDCPA”).… Continue Reading
February 2024
Important National Bank Act (NBA) preemption case to be argued tomorrow, February 27, before US Supreme Court
The oral argument in Cantero v. Bank of America, N.A. will be heard on Tuesday, February 27 before the US Supreme Court. The Court recently granted the unopposed motion of the Solicitor General to participate in the oral argument. The Solicitor General will be taking 10 minutes of the oral argument time allocated to the Petitioners.… Continue Reading
FOIA Request Seeks Names of Organizations That Have Received Payments from CFPB’s Civil Penalty Fund
Federal News Wire – a non-partisan news group focusing on the activities of federal agencies – has issued a Freedom of Information Act (“FOIA”) request to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, seeking a list of all organizations who have received payments from the Bureau’s “Civil Penalty Fund” (“CPF”) since the Bureau’s formation in 2011.… Continue Reading
FinCEN proposes BSA reporting requirements for residential real estate
On February 16, the Financial Crimes Enforcement Center (“FinCEN”) published a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (“NPRM”) regarding residential real estate. The final version of the NPRM published in the Federal Register is 47 pages long. We have created a separate document which more clearly sets forth the proposed regulations themselves, at 31 C.F.R.… Continue Reading
Ballard Spahr partner Michael Guerrero authors article on buy now pay later
Michael Guerrero, a partner in Ballard Spahr’s Consumer Financial Services Group and co-leader of the firm’s Fintech and Payment Solutions Team, has authored an article on buy now pay later (BNPL) that will be published in the March—April 2024 issue of ABA Risk and Compliance.
Titled “Buy Now Pay Later…in an Era of Increased Scrutiny of Economic Headwinds,” the article discusses the evolution of BNPL, regulatory and compliance considerations, and what is ahead for BNPL.… Continue Reading
The CARS Rule: What you need to know about the Federal Trade Commission’s final motor vehicle dealer trade regulation rule, Part II
Our special guest is Richard (“Rick”) Hackett, former Assistant CFPB Director responsible for auto finance regulation and presently a member of the Board of F&I Sentinel, which supports lender compliance in the auto finance and insurance industry. In December 2023, the FTC announced its final Combatting Auto Retail Scams Rule, otherwise known as the “CARS Rule,” which sets new requirements on the sale, financing, and leasing of new and used vehicles by motor vehicle dealers. … Continue Reading
Revised Trigger Leads Bill Introduced in U.S. House of Representatives
As previously reported, in 2023 bills were introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives (H.R. 4198) and the U.S. Senate (S. 3502) to amend the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) to curtail the practice of trigger leads with mortgage loans. While the goals of the bills are the same, the language of the bills differ.… Continue Reading
ABA and State Bankers Associations ask Federal Reserve to withdraw its debit card interchange proposed rule
The American Bankers Association (ABA) along with 50 state bankers associations, the DC Bankers Association and Puerto Rico Bankers Association sent a letter (the “ABA Letter”) to the Federal Reserve “in strong opposition to the Federal Reserve’s misguided proposal to reduce the regulated interchange cap under Regulation II, and to ask that the proposal be withdrawn pending a rigorous study of this proposal’s impacts and the cumulative impacts of the tsunami of newly finalized and pending regulations from the banking agencies.”… Continue Reading
Plaintiffs file memorandum opposing FDIC’s motion to dismiss challenge to NSF fee guidance
On February 14, 2024, the Minnesota Bankers Association and Lake Central Bank (the “Plaintiffs”) filed their memorandum in opposition to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation’s (FDIC) motion to dismiss their challenge to the FDIC’s supervisory guidance on NSF fees.
In June 2023, the Plaintiffs filed a complaint seeking declaratory and injunctive relief under the Administrative Procedures Act (APA) against defendants FDIC and Chairman Martin J.… Continue Reading
FTC issues annual ECOA report to CFPB
The FTC recently sent its annual letter to the CFPB reporting on the FTC’s activities related to the Equal Credit Opportunity Act (ECOA) and Regulation B. The new letter reports on the FTC’s activities in 2023. The Bureau includes the FTC’s annual letter in its own annual report to Congress on the ECOA.… Continue Reading