Without elaborating on its authority for doing so, the Department of Education recently announced the extension, through January 31, 2021, of certain pandemic-related benefits for federal student loan borrowers.

In particular, the administrative forbearance period, the 0% interest rate (pause in interest accrual), and the suspension of administrative wage garnishment and other collection activity will all remain in effect. … Continue Reading

The CFPB Private Education Loan Ombudsman has issued an annual report containing an analysis of approximately 5,000 federal student loan complaints, 1,900 private student loan complaints, and 1,700 debt collection complaints related to private or federal student loans submitted by consumers between September 1, 2019 and August 31, 2020. The report notes that total student loan debt is now $1.677 trillion and is second only to home mortgages in outstanding household debt.… Continue Reading

Among the unfortunate consequences of the pandemic has been COVID-19-related scams targeting businesses and consumers.  As real-time payments (RTP) become more popular in the U.S., fraudsters can be expected to increasingly engage in fraudulent RTP transactions.

A new article titled “The Effect of COVID-19 on Real-Time Payments” written by Ballard Spahr Of Counsel Judy Mok and Amy Schwartz and published in the Banking & Financial Services Policy Report discusses the new RTP system, the benefits of RTP, the potential for fraud in connection with RTP, and the laws that may bear on loss allocation.… Continue Reading

For our webinar last week, “What a Blue Wave in the November 2020 Elections Could Mean for the Consumer Financial Services Industry,” we were joined by special guest Isaac Boltansky, Director of Policy Research at Compass Point Research & Trading.  The webinar examined the potential implications for the consumer financial services industry should Joe Biden win the Presidency and Democrats win control of the Senate while retaining control of the House.… Continue Reading

We are joined by Kelly Cochran, formerly with the CFPB and now Deputy Director of FinRegLab, a non-profit focused on the use of data and technology in financial services.  We examine credit reporting, credit scoring, and underwriting issues arising from the pandemic and CARES Act requirements, including the use of comment codes by furnishers and the treatment of forbearance-related information by creditors, and that are likely to arise in the transition from short-term forbearances to long-term arrangements. … Continue Reading

On August 8, 2020, President Trump signed four executive orders that are designed to provide additional COVID-19 relief as talks on Capitol Hill collapsed on August 7 between White House negotiators and Democratic leaders over a fifth coronavirus stimulus package. One of those actions, which is directed to the Secretary of Education in the form of a memorandum (the “Memorandum”), continues student loan payment relief during the COVID-19 crisis for certain federal student loans held by the Department of Education.… Continue Reading

On August 3, 2020, the Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council (“FFIEC”) issued a joint statement to provide prudent risk management and consumer protection principles for financial institutions to consider when working with borrowers as consumer and business loans near the end of initial loan accommodation periods during the coronavirus pandemic. The guidance notes that the principles outlined in the joint statement apply to both commercial and retail loan accommodations and are consistent with the Interagency Guidelines Establishing Standards for Safety and Soundness.… Continue Reading

Recently, the federal banking regulators issued four new sets of examination procedures. The OCC issued two significant examination booklets on sampling methodologies and UDAP/UDAAP, and the federal banking regulators, together with state financial regulators, issued interagency exam guidance for assessing safety and soundness of financial institutions in light of the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.… Continue Reading

On July 30, 2020, the House Financial Services Committee will hold a hearing entitled, “Protecting Consumers During the Pandemic?  An Examination of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.”

The hearing will convene in a “hybrid” format, which allows Committee members to participate remotely or from the hearing room.

 … Continue Reading