Today’s episode marks the second of a two-part series, with Part One having been released on November 13th. In this installment, we continue our conversation on the many changes in fair lending policy and enforcement under the second Trump administration.

The discussion is moderated by Alan Kaplinsky, Senior Counsel, founder and former chair for 25 years of Ballard Spahr’s Consumer Financial Services Group, and features these distinguished experts in the field:

  1. Bradley Blower, Founder of Inclusive Partners LLC.
… Continue Reading

President Trump has nominated Stuart Levenbach, an Associate Director of the Office of Management and Budget, as CFPB director.

At OMB, Levenbach handles natural resources, energy, science and water issues. During President Trump’s first term, Levenbach was chief of staff of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Levenbach does not have a background in consumer finance and multiple news organizations have reported that Trump Administration officials have said that the nomination was a technical move.… Continue Reading

As previously reported, the CFPB is proposing major changes to its 2023 final rule that would require financial institutions to report information contained in loan applications submitted by small businesses, including women-owned and minority-owned small businesses. The rule is better known as the “Section 1071 rule” after the section of the Dodd-Frank Act that required the CFPB to adopt it.… Continue Reading

The CFPB has issued a proposed rule that would make substantial changes to Regulation B under the Equal Credit Opportunity Act (ECOA). In one of the most significant changes, the bureau has preliminary determined that disparate-impact claims are not authorized by ECOA. The proposal also addresses what constitutes prohibited discouragement of applicants or prospective applicants and would substantially revise the rules governing special purpose credit programs (SPCPs) offered by for-profit creditors, essentially eliminating many of such SPCPs.… Continue Reading

On November 10, 2025, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit, in a 2–1 decision, issued its opinion in National Association of Industrial Bankers et al. v. Weiser. 

In resolving what it described as “an issue of first impression,” the court held that Section 27 of the Federal Deposit Insurance Act (FDIA) does not preempt the interest rate limitations imposed on state banks by a state that has elected to exercise its right under Section 525 of the Depository Institutions Deregulation and Monetary Control Act of 1980 (DIDMCA) to opt-out of Section 27 with respect to “loans made in such State.” Section… Continue Reading

Effective October 29, 2025, the CFPB finalized its rule, published at 90 Fed. Reg. 48737-60, rescinding certain amendments to the rules made on February 22, 2022 (prior blog) and on March 29, 2023 (prior blog) (collectively, the 2022 and 2023 amendments).

Under Section 1053(e) of the Consumer Financial Protection Act, the CFPB is authorized to prescribe rules for hearings and adjudication proceedings.… Continue Reading

On October 29, 2025, CFPB withdrew its proposed rule titled Registry of Supervised Nonbanks That Use Form Contracts To Impose Terms and Conditions That Seek To Waive or Limit Consumer Legal Protections, which was published on February 1, 2023. The proposed rule would have required nonbanks to submit annual reports on the terms and conditions in their form contracts and on related court or arbitrator decisions on the enforceability of those terms and conditions.… Continue Reading

Effective October 27, 2025, the CFPB rescinded the amendments to the Procedures for Supervisory Designation Proceedings that it adopted in April 2022, November 2022, and April 2024, , with the exception of some limited process adjustments.

Section 1024(b)(7) of the Consumer Financial Protection Act authorizes the CFPB to “prescribe rules to facilitate supervision” of the nonbank covered persons described in section 1024(a), i.e.,… Continue Reading

Alan Kaplinsky, Founder and former chair of Ballard Spahr’s Consumer Financial Services Group and founder, and host, of the award-winning Consumer Finance Monitor blog and weekly podcast, recently joined LexBlog’s Real Lawyers podcast hosted by Kevin O’Keefe. This is Alan’s second time on the program, which covers the role of publishing in the legal profession.… Continue Reading

The CFPB is proposing major changes to its final rule that would require financial institutions to report information contained in loan applications submitted by small businesses, including women-owned and minority-owned small businesses.

The rule is better known as the “Section 1071 rule” after the section of the Dodd-Frank Act that required the CFPB to adopt it.… Continue Reading