Just one day after announcing that it was launching a new system to provide guidance to other agencies with consumer financial protection responsibilities on how the CFPB intends to enforce federal consumer financial laws, the CFPB released its first Consumer Financial Protection Circular (2022-02) addressing deceptive representations involving the FDIC’s name or logo or deposit
Fintech
OppFi asks court to reject California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation’s “true lender” challenge to loans made through bank partnership
Opportunity Financial, LLC (OppFi) has filed a Demurrer to the cross-complaint filed by the California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation (DFPI) in which it asks the California trial court to reject the DFPI’s attempt to apply California usury law to loans made through OppFi’s partnership with FinWise Bank (Bank) by alleging that OppFi is…
Connecticut Banking Dept. issues cease and desist order to stop fintech loan finder from operating without small loan license
The Connecticut Department of Banking (“Department”) has issued a temporary cease and desist order (“Order”) that directs SoLo Funds, Inc., (“SoLo”) a fintech company that uses peer-to-peer technology to assist consumers in obtaining small dollar loans from third-party lenders, to immediately stop engaging in such activity because it is not licensed as a small loan…
CFPB announces plans to supervise more nonbanks; Ballard Spahr to hold May 11 webinar on Director Chopra’s first six months in office
The CFPB has announced that it plans to invoke its “dormant authority” to supervise nonbanks engaged in conduct that poses risk to consumers. In conjunction with the announcement, the CFPB issued a procedural rule concerning the confidentiality of proceedings in which the CFPB invokes such authority. These moves by the CFPB are notable for two…
California federal district court upholds OCC and FDIC “Madden-fix” rules
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…
This week’s podcast: What will 2022 hold for fintechs in the consumer financial services industry—a discussion with special guest Todd Baker, Senior Fellow at the Richman Center for Business, Law & Public Policy at Columbia University
Rising interest rates and inflation are two key factors that are expected to create a more challenging business environment in 2022. Based on his work at the intersection of technology and financial services, Todd shares his perspective on how this new environment is likely to impact providers of various types of consumer financial services, particularly…
OCC approves national bank charter applications of fintech company
The OCC announced this week that it has conditionally approved applications from Social Finance Inc. (SoFi) to create SoFi Bank, National Association (SoFi Bank, N.A.), as a full service national bank headquartered in Cottonwood Heights, Utah.
The OCC’s press release indicates that as part of the transaction, SoFi Bank, N.A. is acquiring Golden Pacific Bank,…
CSBS withdraws lawsuit seeking to block OCC approval of Figure Technologies charter application
The Conference of State Bank Supervisors (CSBS) has withdrawn its lawsuit filed in D.C. federal district court in December 2020 seeking to block the OCC from granting a national bank charter to Figure Technologies Inc. The lawsuit represented the CSBS’s third challenge to the OCC’s authority to issue special purpose national bank (SPNB) charters to…
CFPB seeks comments to inform inquiry into large technology companies that offer payment services
At the end of last month, the CFPB sent orders to six large technology platforms offering payment services that directs them to provide information to the Bureau about their payments products and services and their collection and use of personal payments data.
On November 5, 2021, the CFPB published a notice in the Federal Register…
Ballard Spahr attorneys complete White Paper on bank-model lending
Ballard Spahr attorneys have now completed a months-long project in updating and expanding a 2017 White Paper addressing bank-model lending—programs involving partnerships between banks (or savings associations) and fintech or other nonbank companies in the interstate delivery of loans.
The new White Paper, which runs 49 pages single-spaced, is designed to serve as a comprehensive…