The Federal Trade Commission recently announced that it settled an action it filed against AppFolio, Inc. (“AppFolio”), regarding alleged unfair or deceptive acts or practices, in violation of Section 5 of the FTC Act, 15 U.S.C. § 45, and violations of multiple provisions of the Fair Credit Reporting Act (“FCRA”), 15 U.S.C.… Continue Reading
Daniel C. Fanaselle
California expands translation requirement for consumer contracts
On September 25, 2020, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed several consumer protection bills, including AB 3254, which extends the right to receive a translated version of certain consumer contracts to nonparty signatories, such as guarantors or cosigners.
Under existing law, a business negotiating a covered contract in Spanish, Chinese, Tagalog, Vietnamese, or Korean (the five most common non-English languages spoken in California) must provide the consumer with a translated version of the contract. … Continue Reading
CFPB moves for summary judgment in PayPal lawsuit and opposes PayPal’s summary judgment motion
In filings submitted last week, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (the Bureau) both opposed and moved for summary judgment in PayPal, Inc. v. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, asking the court to put an end to PayPal, Inc.’s lawsuit challenging the prepaid card rule (Rule), which took effect last year. The Rule set out certain fee disclosure requirements, credit-linking restrictions, and other consumer protections for “prepaid accounts.”… Continue Reading
Sen. Sherrod Brown Joins Consumer Groups in Applying Pressure to Encourage CFPB to Seek Lifting of Stay of the Compliance Date for the 2017 Payday Rule’s Payments Provisions
On August 14, 2019, Senate Banking Committee Ranking Member Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) wrote a letter imploring Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Director Kathy Kraninger to implement the payments provisions of the 2017 Payday Rule by the scheduled August 19, 2019, compliance date, by requesting a lifting of the stay imposed by the Texas federal district court hearing the lawsuit challenging the Rule. … Continue Reading
Washington State AG Sues Debt Buyers for Operating Without a License
On September 21, 2018, the Attorney General for the State of Washington filed a lawsuit (see complaint) against several companies engaged in purchasing charged-off consumer debts, for operating as “collection agencies” without a license, in violation of the Washington Collection Agency Act (WCAA). The lawsuit names EGP Investments, LLC, JPRD Investments, LLC, and The Collection Group LLC (the Debt Buyers) as defendants, along with Fair Resolutions, Inc.… Continue Reading
Federal Reserve Announces Consent Order Related to Bank’s Use of Discount Points
On November 28, 2017, the Federal Reserve Board announced a Consent Order with Peoples Bank (Peoples) in Lawrence, Kansas. The Order charges Peoples with violating Section 5 of the Federal Trade Commission Act (FTCA) by engaging in deceptive mortgage origination practices between January 2011 and March 2015. According to the Order, Peoples “often” gave prospective borrowers the option of paying discount points (an amount calculated as a percentage of the loan amount) at the time of closing, in order to obtain a lower interest rate. … Continue Reading
D.C. district court allows payday lenders’ due process claims to proceed against “Operation Choke Point”
On July 5, 2017, the U.S. District Court for the District Columbia, in the lawsuit filed in 2014 challenging “Operation Choke Point” — a federal enforcement initiative involving various agencies, including the Consumer Protection Branch of the Department of Justice (DOJ), the Federal Depository Insurance Corporation (FDIC), the Federal Reserve (Fed), and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency — denied the agencies’ motions to dismiss and/or for summary judgment and permitted the payday lender-plaintiffs’ due process claims to proceed.… Continue Reading
OIG Report Continues Criticism of CFPB Enforcement Data Security Practices
On May 15, 2017, the Federal Reserve Office of Inspector General – which also oversees the CFPB – released a report finding deficiencies in the CFPB Office of Enforcement’s (Enforcement) processes for securing sensitive information. The evaluation, conducted between February 2016 and July 2016, reviewed Enforcement’s processes for protecting the information it collects from the entities subject to its investigations and litigation activities related to potential violations of federal consumer financial laws, referred to as confidential investigative information (CII).… Continue Reading