Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser recently announced that three Colorado-chartered credit unions had entered into Assurances of Discontinuance (AODs) with the Colorado Administrator of the Uniform Consumer Credit Code (UCCC) to resolve the issues between the Administrator and credit unions concerning whether the credit unions had failed to make refunds of unearned fees for Guaranteed Automobile Protection (GAP) as required by the Colorado UCCC. … Continue Reading

Consistent with expectations that the CFPB under Director Chopra’s leadership would take an expansive view of its statutory authorities, the CFPB has announced its intention to use its authority to prohibit unfair, deceptive, or abusive acts or practices (UDAAPs) to target discriminatory conduct, even where fair lending laws may not apply.… Continue Reading

We discuss how lead generation works, the roles of the various players in the lead generation marketplace, the key regulatory risks arising under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, Telephone Consumer Protection Act, and Telemarketing Sales Rule, FTC enforcement cases, and CFPB supervisory concerns.  We also discuss the impact of the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act’s referral fee prohibition and fair lending/fair housing laws on lead generation involving mortgage-related services and state licensing issues triggered by lead generation.… Continue Reading

The CFPB has updated the section of its Supervision and Examination Manual on debt collection examination procedures.  The update reflects the requirements of Regulation F, the Bureau’s final debt collection rule that implements the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act.  Regulation F became effective on November 30, 2021.

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Opportunity Financial, LLC (OppFi) has filed a Complaint for Declaratory and Injunctive Relief in a California state court against the California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation (DFPI), seeking to block the DFPI from applying California usury law to loans made through OppFi’s partnership with Fin Wise Bank (Bank), a state-chartered FDIC-insured bank located in Utah.… Continue Reading

A recent blog by Professor Jeff Sovern, occasioned by the recent Senate hearing on consumer arbitration clauses, recycles two of his favorite talking points: (1) consumers don’t understand arbitration clauses, and (2) consumers only benefit from post-dispute, not pre-dispute, arbitration.  We’ve heard it all before, and our previous responses to his earlier iterations of those same arguments have stood the test of time.… Continue Reading

President Biden has signed an Executive Order intended to respond to the explosive growth in digital assets, including cryptocurrencies.  Titled “Executive Order on Ensuring Responsible Development of Digital Assets,” the Order is described by the White House as “outlining the first ever, whole-of-government approach to addressing the risks and harnessing the potential benefits of digital assets and their underlying technology.”… Continue Reading

The CFPB’s recently-issued request for information takes aim at what the CFPB labels “junk fees” charged by consumer financial services providers.  We discuss the types of fees targeted in the RFI, particularly fees related to deposit accounts and mortgages, and the impact of existing regulatory requirements on the CFPB’s initiative.  We also examine the CFPB’s authority to address so-called “junk fees,” consider possible short- and long-term actions the CFPB could take in response to the RFI, offer steps providers can take to prepare for greater scrutiny of ancillary fees and possible legal challenges, and describe the CFPB readiness reviews that Ballard Spahr attorneys are conducting to assist providers in assessing the permissibility and disclosure of fees charged in connection with their consumer products and services.… Continue Reading

A Pennsylvania district court has ruled that a company that provides reports based on a search of public records is a “consumer reporting agency” (CRA) as defined by the Fair Credit Reporting Act.

In McGrath v. Credit Lenders Service Agency, Inc., the plaintiffs applied to a bank for a loan to refinance their home mortgage. … Continue Reading

In Collins v. Yellin (previously captioned Collins v. Mnuchin), the U.S. Supreme Court, relying on its decision in Seila Law, held that the Federal Housing Finance Agency’s structure was unconstitutional because the Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008 (HERA) only allowed the President to remove the FHFA’s Director “for cause.” … Continue Reading