CFPB, Federal Agencies, State Agencies, and Attorneys General
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) recently issued Circular 26-23-10, Change 1, Circular 26-24-5 and an Exhibit to address fees that may be imposed in connection with the assumption of a VA-guaranteed home loan.
The VA advises in the Circulars that the holder or servicer of a VA-guaranteed home loan with automatic authority may charge an assumption processing fee not to exceed $300.… Continue Reading
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) recently announced a Payment Supplement loss mitigation program for Federal Housing Administration (FHA) insured Title 2 mortgage loans, the details of which are set forth in Mortgagee Letter 2024-02. Mortgage servicers may begin implementing the Payment Supplement on May 1, 2024, but must implement the solution for all eligible borrowers by January 1, 2025.… Continue Reading
On February 20, 2024, Director Samuel Levine of the Federal Trade Commission’s Bureau of Consumer Protection (Bureau) issued a statement promoting the use and acceptance of tolling agreements. Tolling agreements pause the running of statutes of limitations, permitting enforcement agencies such as the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to file an enforcement action against a party after the deadline otherwise established by the applicable statute.… Continue Reading
A proposed class action lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia on February 21, 2024 against TitleMax of Georgia, Inc. and TMX Finance LLC (together, “TitleMax”) accuses the Georgia-based title and pawn lender of various violations of the Military Lending Act (“MLA”), including charging servicemembers and their dependents interest in excess of the MLA’s 36% rate cap.… Continue Reading
On February 7, 2024, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit affirmed the district court’s Order granting a motion for judgment on the pleadings and holding that a charged-off loan made by a lender licensed under the Consumer Discount Company Act (“CDCA”) that is subsequently sold to a third-party debt collector is no longer subject to the CDCA and collecting on the debt without holding a CDCA license is not in and of itself a violation of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (“FDCPA”).… Continue Reading
The oral argument in Cantero v. Bank of America, N.A. will be heard on Tuesday, February 27 before the US Supreme Court. The Court recently granted the unopposed motion of the Solicitor General to participate in the oral argument. The Solicitor General will be taking 10 minutes of the oral argument time allocated to the Petitioners.… Continue Reading
Federal News Wire – a non-partisan news group focusing on the activities of federal agencies – has issued a Freedom of Information Act (“FOIA”) request to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, seeking a list of all organizations who have received payments from the Bureau’s “Civil Penalty Fund” (“CPF”) since the Bureau’s formation in 2011.… Continue Reading
On February 16, the Financial Crimes Enforcement Center (“FinCEN”) published a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (“NPRM”) regarding residential real estate. The final version of the NPRM published in the Federal Register is 47 pages long. We have created a separate document which more clearly sets forth the proposed regulations themselves, at 31 C.F.R.… Continue Reading
Michael Guerrero, a partner in Ballard Spahr’s Consumer Financial Services Group and co-leader of the firm’s Fintech and Payment Solutions Team, has authored an article on buy now pay later (BNPL) that will be published in the March—April 2024 issue of ABA Risk and Compliance.
Titled “Buy Now Pay Later…in an Era of Increased Scrutiny of Economic Headwinds,” the article discusses the evolution of BNPL, regulatory and compliance considerations, and what is ahead for BNPL.… Continue Reading
Our special guest is Richard (“Rick”) Hackett, former Assistant CFPB Director responsible for auto finance regulation and presently a member of the Board of F&I Sentinel, which supports lender compliance in the auto finance and insurance industry. In December 2023, the FTC announced its final Combatting Auto Retail Scams Rule, otherwise known as the “CARS Rule,” which sets new requirements on the sale, financing, and leasing of new and used vehicles by motor vehicle dealers. … Continue Reading
