Opportunity Financial, LLC (OppFi) has filed a Complaint for Declaratory and Injunctive Relief in a California state court against the California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation (DFPI), seeking to block the DFPI from applying California usury law to loans made through OppFi’s partnership with Fin Wise Bank (Bank), a state-chartered FDIC-insured bank located in Utah.… Continue Reading

A California federal district court judge has rejected challenges to the OCC’s and FDIC’s Madden-fix rules brought in two separate lawsuits by state attorneys general.  The OCC rule is codified at 12 C.F.R. Section 7.4001(e) and the FDIC rule is codified at 12 C.F.R. Section 160.110(d).  The rules provide that a loan made by a national bank, federal savings association, or federally-insured state-chartered bank that is permissible under applicable federal law (Section 85 of the National Bank Act (NBA) or Section 27 of the Federal Deposit Insurance Act (FDIA)) is not affected by the sale, assignment, or other transfer of the loan.… Continue Reading

In remarks last week to the Consumer Federation of America’s 34th Annual Financial Services Conference, Acting Comptroller of the Currency Michael Hsu took banks to task for contributing to income and wealth inequality through overdraft programs by earning $15.5 billion in overdraft fees in 2019 that “are being paid by those customers who are the most financially vulnerable.” … Continue Reading

The White House announced this past Thursday that President Biden has nominated Saule Omarova to serve as Comptroller of the Currency.

Ms. Omarova is currently a law professor at Cornell University, where she serves as the Director of the Program on the Law and Regulation of Financial Institutions and Markets of Cornell’s Jack Clarke Institute for the Study and Practice of Business Law. … Continue Reading

Last week, the Federal Reserve Board published a paper on partnerships between community banks and fintech companies, “Community Bank Access to Innovation through Partnerships.”  The Fed’s publication of the paper is another indication of the increased attention that regulators are paying to bank relationships with fintechs.  It follows the publication at the end of last month of a guide by the Fed, OCC, and FDIC that is intended to assist community banks in conducting due diligence when considering relationships with fintechs.… Continue Reading

The OCC, FDIC, and Federal Reserve Board have issued a guide that is intended to assist community banks in conducting due diligence when considering relationships with financial technology (fintech) companies (Guide).

The issuance of the Guide follows the agencies’ July 2021 release of proposed interagency guidance for banking organizations on managing risks associated with third-party relationships, including relationships with financial technology-focused entities such as bank/fintech sponsorship arrangements. … Continue Reading

The Federal Reserve, FDIC, and OCC have released proposed interagency guidance for banking organizations on managing risks associated with third-party relationships, including relationships with financial technology-focused entities such as bank/fintech sponsorship arrangements.  The proposal is the first time that the three agencies have proposed third-party risk management guidance on an interagency basis. … Continue Reading

Yesterday, by a vote of 52-47, the Senate passed the resolution introduced by Democratic Senators under the Congressional Review Act (CRA) to overturn the OCC’s “true lender” final rule.  The rule addresses when a national bank or federal savings association should be considered the “true lender” in the context of a partnership with a third party. … Continue Reading

In a very troubling decision of first impression, a unanimous panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit has ruled that a debt collector’s transmittal of the plaintiff’s personal information to the vendor it used to generate and send collection letters “constituted a communication ‘in connection with the collection of any debt’ within the meaning of [FDCPA Section 1692c(b)]”. … Continue Reading

The CFPB and the Colorado AG’s Office have announced they will hold joint virtual office hours as part of the American Consumer Financial Innovation Network (ACFIN).  The joint virtual office hours will be held on December 2, 2020.  CFPB Director Kraninger and Colorado AG Weiser will participate in this event.… Continue Reading