The CFPB may seek to rely on a recent Seventh Circuit employment discrimination case to support its view that the Equal Credit Opportunity Act’s (ECOA’s) prohibition against discrimination on the basis of “sex” includes discrimination based on sexual orientation.

In Hively v. Ivy Tech Community College of Indiana, the court held that Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits employment discrimination against individuals because of their sexual orientation.… Continue Reading

Since the CFPB issued its final rule for general purpose prepaid accounts on October 5, 2016, it has faced attacks from Congress and criticism from industry participants

On April 5, in a letter to Congressional leaders, attorneys general (AGs) from 17 states (Iowa, California, Maine, Hawaii, Maryland, Massachusetts, Illinois, Minnesota, Mississippi, Vermont, New York, Virginia, North Carolina, Washington, Oregon, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island) and the District of Columbia urged Congress to cease its efforts to nullify the rule under the Congressional Review Act (CRA).… Continue Reading

Two state-chartered banks recently filed complaints for declaratory judgment and injunctive relief against the Administrator of the Uniform Consumer Credit Code for the State of Colorado, Julie Ann Meade.  The complaints were filed in Colorado federal court and seek to permanently enjoin enforcement actions brought by Meade against the banks’ non-bank partners who, according to the complaints, market and service loans originated by the two banks and which the banks sometimes sells to their partners.… Continue Reading

Despite its long duration (over five hours including a recess for a vote), the House Financial Services Committee’s hearing on April 5 at which Director Cordray was the sole witness provided a strong dose of political theater but little in the way of new information or substance.   Although there were many important questions that Committee members could have asked Director Cordray (we suggested several in a prior blog post), members mostly returned to familiar themes in their questions and remarks. … Continue Reading

The CFPB has issued its annual Consumer Response Report that provides an analysis of the approximately 291,400 complaints handled by the CFPB between January 1 and December 31, 2016.  According to the report, complaint volume rose 7% from 271,600 complaints in 2015 to 291,400 in 2016. The report provides data on the most common types of complaints for each product, the handling of complaints, and median monetary relief.  … Continue Reading

Since the CFPB issued its final rule for general purpose prepaid accounts on October 5, 2016, it has faced challenges from Congress and criticism from industry participants.  In recognition of the numerous compliance difficulties posed by the rule, the CFPB has indicated that it is amenable to making substantive changes to the rule, and on March 9, the CFPB proposed to delay the rule’s implementation date in response to feedback from the prepaid industry.… Continue Reading

On March 30, Director Cordray gave his annual speech to the United States Chamber of Commerce’s 11th Annual Capital Markets Summit.  His prepared remarks focused on the CFPB’s role in adopting regulations.

He spoke at length about the factors involved in the economic meltdown and how Congress responded, in part, by creating the CFPB. … Continue Reading

The Department of Justice, with the consent of PHH and the CFPB, has filed an unopposed motion with the D.C. Circuit requesting ten minutes of argument time in the oral argument to be held on May 24, 2017 in the rehearing en banc in the PHH case.

The DOJ filed an amicus brief in which it agreed with PHH’s position that the CFPB’s structure is unconstitutional but advocated a more limited remedial measure than PHH is seeking. … Continue Reading

On April 7, 2017, the Rutgers Institute for Professional Education and Rutgers University Law Review will sponsor an all-day symposium entitled: “Resolving the Arbitration Dispute in Today’s Legal Landscape.” One of the four panels will be devoted to the CFPB’s arbitration rulemaking.

All four speakers on the CFPB panel are law professors. … Continue Reading

Several individuals and organizations filed amicus briefs in support of the CFPB in the en banc rehearing in the PHH case. Among the amici is a brief filed by current and former members of Congress, including Chris Dodd and Barney Frank, the principal architects and namesakes of the Dodd-Frank Act, which created the CFPB.… Continue Reading