Ronald K. Vaske

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The CFPB has issued a proposed rule to supervise nonbank companies that qualify as larger participants in a market for “general-use digital consumer payment applications.”  Comments on the proposal are due by January 8, 2024 or by the date that is 30 days after the proposal’s publication in the Federal Register, whichever is later.… Continue Reading

Fifteen trade groups have joined in a letter to the CFPB requesting an extension of the comment period on the CFPB’s proposed rulemaking on personal financial data rights.  The proposal implements Section 1033 of the Dodd-Frank Act which authorizes the CFPB to issue rules requiring “a covered person [to] make available to a consumer, upon request, information in the control or possession of such person concerning the consumer financial product or service that the consumer obtained from such covered person, including information related to any transaction, or series of transactions, to the account including costs, charges, and usage data.” … Continue Reading

On November 30, 2023 at 12:30 PM, ET, Ballard Spahr will hold a webinar entitled “Recent Important Developments in Federal Preemption for National and State Banks: What They Mean for Bank and Nonbank Consumer Financial Services Providers” during which this case will be dissected.

In a lengthy (65-page) order, the California Superior Court in Los Angeles has issued an extremely important decision upholding the legitimacy of bank-model online lending by denying a motion for preliminary injunction filed by the California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation (DFPI) that sought to force fintech Opportunity Financial LLC (OppFi) to stop facilitating loans to California borrowers from its partner FinWise Bank at interest rates above the interest rate cap (generally 36% plus the Federal Funds Rate) imposed by the California Financing Law (CFL).… Continue Reading

As we previously blogged, the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve (the “Board”) held an open meeting on October 25, 2023 to discuss the debit card interchange fee cap. The debit card interchange fee cap was part of the so-called “Durbin Amendment” to the Dodd-Frank Act, which required the Board to promulgate a regulation applicable to banks having more than $10 billion in assets establishing maximum debit card interchange fees that are “reasonable and proportional to the actual cost” of processing the transaction.… Continue Reading

Earlier this month, in Fama v. Opportunity Financial LLC, a Magistrate Judge of the federal district court for the Western District of Washington held that the arbitration provision in OppFi’s installment loan agreement is enforceable and rejected the plaintiff’s contentions that the provision is substantively and procedurally unconscionable. This is the third federal district court decision—out of four putative class actions filed to date against OppFi by the same plaintiff’s counsel stating the same claims—to compel arbitration of the named plaintiff’s individual claims.… Continue Reading

On October 19, 2023, the Consumer Financial Protection Board (“CFPB”) released a proposed rule that, if enacted, would grant consumers greater access rights to the data their financial institutions hold. Under the proposed Personal Financial Data Rights Rule (the “Proposed Rule”), bank customers nationwide would have privacy rights similar to what is afforded under the dozen state privacy laws that have been enacted in recent years. … Continue Reading

The Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve (FRB) is holding an open meeting on October 25, 2023 to discuss proposed revisions to the Board’s debit interchange fee cap contained in Regulation II, which implemented the Durbin Amendment.  For large issuers (with $10 billion or more in assets), Section 235.3(a) of Regulation II requires an issuer to charge interchange fees that are “reasonable and proportional to the cost incurred by the issuer with respect to the electronic debit transaction” and Section 235.3(b) of Regulation II caps such fees at 21 cents plus 0.05% of the transaction.… Continue Reading

Earlier this month, the Federal Reserve Board (FRB) released two supervision and regulation letters regarding the agency’s program to supervise “novel” banking activities.

The release of these letters follows a January policy statement indicating the FRB’s interest in leveling the playing field in terms of subjecting uninsured and insured banks to the same limitations on activities, including novel banking activities. … Continue Reading

On August 28, 2023 (the “Effective Date”), SB 103, signed into law by Missouri’s governor, will become the nation’s second statutory framework for earned wage access (EWA) providers.  The Missouri law closely resembles Nevada’s recently enacted law to license and regulate EWA providers.

SB 103 enacts a new RSMo § 361.749(2), which expressly provides that “[n]o person shall engage in the business of earned wage access services in [Missouri] without first registering as an earned wage access services provider” with the Missouri Division of Finance (the “Division”). … Continue Reading

In January 2023, a federal district court in Texas dismissed Michael v. Opportunity Financial, LLC, a putative class action filed in June 2022 claiming that fintech Opportunity Financial, LLC (OppFi), not its out-of-state, state-chartered bank partners, is the “true lender” on loans with interest rates permitted under the laws of the banks’ home states, but higher than allowed in the plaintiffs’ states. … Continue Reading