The CFPB recently announced that it has issued a Compliance Assistance Statement of Terms Template (“CAST Template”) through its Compliance Assistance Sandbox Policy (“CAS Policy”) after receiving an application from Build Commonwealth, Inc. (“Commonwealth”).

The Commonwealth CAST Template can be used by employers as the basis for an application to the CFPB to obtain approval for an automatic savings program to assist employees in building emergency savings (“Autosave Program”). … Continue Reading

We look at the impact of federal and state law including relevant CARES Act provisions, state garnishment directives, and federal preemption, identify issues banks should consider in handling garnishments or exercising setoff rights, and offer suggestions for mitigation measures banks can take as they decide how to address the challenges in this area.… Continue Reading

The CFPB issued two sets of FAQs that discuss assistance that financial services providers can offer consumers during the COVID-19 pandemic.

One set of FAQs is directed at providers of checking, savings, or prepaid accounts.  The FAQs deal with an account provider’s ability to change account terms and the ways account providers can provide immediate relief to consumers. … Continue Reading

Effective April 24, 2020, the Federal Reserve amended Regulation D to remove the six-per-month limit on transfers or withdrawals from the definition of a “savings deposit.”  The amendment is set forth in an interim final rule published in the Federal Register on April 28.  Comments on the interim final rule must be filed by June 29, 2020.… Continue Reading

The Subcommittee on Consumer Protection and Financial Institutions of the House Financial Services Committee has scheduled a hearing entitled “An Examination of Regulators’ Efforts to Preserve and Promote Minority Depository Institutions” on November 20, 2019.  In its first hearing on minority depository institutions, the Subcommittee examined the unique challenges facing MDIs and the communities they serve. … Continue Reading

Last week, the FDIC published its Consumer Compliance Supervisory Highlights that provides observations about its consumer compliance supervision activities in 2018. Importantly, the highlights include anonymized 2018 exam findings regarding violations of consumer protection laws and other information to help financial institutions stay abreast of issues and trends identified during exams and assist them in mitigating potential risks.… Continue Reading

The CFPB’s Winter 2019 Supervisory Highlights discusses the Bureau’s examination findings in the areas of automobile loan servicing, deposits, mortgage loan servicing, and remittances.  We discussed the Bureau’s auto loan servicing findings in a separate blog post.  In this blog post, we focus on the Bureau’s additional findings.

Although issued under Director Kraninger’s leadership, the Winter 2019 Supervisory Highlights covers examinations generally completed between June and November 2018 when Mick Mulvaney was Acting Director. … Continue Reading

The FDIC has issued an Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPR) seeking comment on its regulatory approach to brokered deposits and interest rate restrictions.

The FDIC’s current regulations on brokered deposits and interest rate restrictions are set forth at 12 C.F.R. Section 337.6.  Such regulations implement Section 29 of the Federal Deposit Insurance Act which restricts an insured depository institution that is less than well capitalized from soliciting or accepting deposits by or through a “deposit broker.” … Continue Reading