On May 20, Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt signed into law House Bill No. 3168 which imposes new limits on the use of automated dialing systems.  The new law, titled the “Telephone Solicitation Act of 2022” (Act), takes effect on November 1, 2022.

The Act prohibits the use of an “automated system” to make a “commercial telephonic sales call” without the “prior express written consent” of the “called party.” … Continue Reading

The U.S. Supreme Court today held that waiver of the right to arbitrate does not require a showing that the other party was prejudiced.  The unanimous opinion by Justice Kagan in Morgan v. Sundance reversed the Eighth Circuit, which had held that a party waives the right to arbitrate if it knew of the right, acted inconsistently with that right and prejudiced the other party by its inconsistent actions. … Continue Reading

The CFPB has issued a new interpretive rule regarding the authority of state attorneys general and state regulators (State Officials) to enforce the Consumer Financial Protection Act (CFPA). 

CFPA Section 1042(a) (12 U.S.C. Section 5552) authorizes “the attorney general (or the equivalent thereof) of any State” to bring “a civil action…to enforce the provisions of [the CFPA] or regulations issued under [the CFPA] and to secure remedies under provisions of [the CFPA] or remedies otherwise provided under other law.” … Continue Reading

Recently, Professor Jeff Sovern and I exchanged views on whether the CFPB could (or should) add arbitration rulemaking to its regulatory agenda.  Professor Sovern has now suggested that the CFPB’s 2015 Study of consumer arbitration would support a new regulation.  It would not.

The CFPB’s earlier final arbitration rule was overridden by the Congress under the Congressional Review Act (CRA). … Continue Reading

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 insurance. … Continue Reading

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 the “true lender” on the loans.… Continue Reading

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 company in Connecticut. … Continue Reading

A California Court of Appeal recently found a bank liable to a judgment creditor under California’s Enforcement of Judgments Law for the bank’s registered agent’s mistake in misreading, and subsequently rejecting, a notice of levy.  Although the bank itself did not have knowledge of the mistake, the Court held the bank responsible through principles of agency, rendering the bank liable for amounts that the account holder drained from the account when the levy should have been in effect.… Continue Reading

After moving alone in 2020 to reform its Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) regulation, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) has joined the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) and Federal Reserve Board in issuing a joint notice of proposed rulemaking setting forth proposed amendments to their regulations implementing the CRA. … Continue Reading

As expected, the American Law Institute (“ALI”) approved the Restatement of the Law, Consumer Contracts yesterday at ALI’s 2022 Annual Meeting in Washington, DC.  The Restatement sets forth a series of rules that are intended to represent the current black letter law for contracts between businesses and consumers and culminates an 11-year project by ALI on the subject. … Continue Reading