In Wednesday’s edition of Consumer Law & Policy Blog, Professor Jeff Sovern laments that during Director Rohit Chopra’s recent testimony before the Senate Banking Committee and the House Financial Services Committee, neither he nor any member of the Committees mentioned “arbitration” as an action item on the CFPB’s agenda. Professor Sovern expresses hope that the arbitration issue will nevertheless appear on the CFPB’s regulatory agenda when it is soon published.… Continue Reading

A key issue for earned wage access (EWA) programs is whether they constitute “credit” for purposes of federal consumer financial protection laws such as TILA, ECOA, and the CFPA, or under state law.  The Treasury Department’s General Explanations of the Administration’s Fiscal Year 2023 Revenue Proposals includes a proposal concerning how EWA programs should be characterized for tax purposes.… Continue Reading

Last week, the Senate Banking Committee’s Subcommittee on Financial Institutions and Consumer Protection held a hearing entitled “Examining Overdraft Fees and Their Effects on Working Families.”  A recording of the hearing is available here. 

After opening statements from Subcommittee Chairman Raphael Warnock (D-GA) and Ranking Member Thom Tillis (R-NC), three witnesses offered testimony and responded to questions from the Subcommittee members. … Continue Reading

Yesterday, the U.S. Senate confirmed Alvaro Bedoya to serve as an FTC Commissioner  

Mr. Bedoya fills the seat on the Commission previously held by CFPB Director Rohit Chopra.  He joins the two other Democratic FTC Commissioners, Lina Khan, Chair of the Commission, and Rebecca Slaughter, thereby ending a 2-2 split and restoring a 3-2 Democratic majority. … Continue Reading

We first review the scope of the CFPB’s supervisory authority granted by Dodd-Frank and the source of its authority to supervise nonbanks that present risks to consumers.  We then discuss how we expect the CFPB to use its risk-based authority, including the types of products it may target and its decision to make public the identities nonbanks. … Continue Reading

The Fifth Circuit held  oral argument yesterday in the appeal filed by the trade groups challenging the payment provisions in the CFPB’s 2017 final payday/auto title/high-rate installment loan rule (2017 Rule).  Click here for the recording of the oral argument.

The trade groups have appealed from the district court’s final judgment granting the CFPB’s summary judgment motion and staying the compliance date for the payment provisions until 286 days after August 31, 2021 (which would have been until June 13, 2022). … Continue Reading

The CFPB has issued a new advisory opinion “to affirm that the Equal Credit Opportunity Act (ECOA) and Regulation B protect those actively seeking credit and those who sought and received credit.”

The ECOA defines an “applicant” to mean “any person who applies to a creditor directly for an extension, renewal, or continuation of credit, or applies to a creditor indirectly by use of an existing credit plan for an amount exceeding a previously established credit limit.”… Continue Reading

The CFPB and the FTC recently filed an amicus brief in an appeal to the Second Circuit, arguing that the Court should reject the District Court’s “unduly narrow” interpretation of the FCRA requirement that consumer reporting agencies (CRAs) follow reasonable procedures to assure accuracy of information included in consumer reports.

In Sessa v.… Continue Reading

The Eighth Circuit reiterated in a decision last month that trial courts must distinguish between FCRA plaintiffs who have suffered concrete harm and plaintiffs who merely seek to collect statutorily allowed damages as a way to ensure compliance with the law.  Under the Supreme Court’s decision in Spokeo, the former have Article III standing to assert FCRA claims but the latter do not.… Continue Reading

Our Consumer Finance Monitor podcast continues to cover the most important industry issues.  In anticipation of the American Law Institute (“ALI”) considering the Restatement of the Law, Consumer Contracts (the “Restatement”) at its Annual Meeting in Washington, DC on Tuesday, May 17, we plan to release an episode about the Restatement with guest Steven Weise, a member of ALI’s Council on Monday, May 16. … Continue Reading