The American Fintech Council (AFC), a trade group whose members include providers of earned wage access (EWA) products, has sent a letter to Director Chopra urging the CFPB to take steps towards development of a “pragmatic regulatory approach” for regulating EWA products. 

In its letter, AFC discusses the “patchwork approach” to regulating EWA products that is emerging at the state level.  … Continue Reading

On February 6, 2024, National Credit Union Administration (NCUA) Chairman Todd M. Harper spoke at a Brookings Institution event to outline his regulatory agenda and supervisory priorities for 2024. His prepared remarks addressed the 90th Anniversary of the Federal Credit Union Act, credit union performance in third quarter of 2023, risks posed by third party service providers, liquidity management, and consumer financial protection.… Continue Reading

On January 22, 2024, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) entered into a Stipulated Order for Permanent Injunction, Monetary Judgment, and Other Relief (the “Order”) with FloatMe Corp. (“FloatMe”), a fintech that offers short-term cash advances through its mobile app, to settle litigation brought earlier in the month against the fintech and two of its principals (collectively, “Defendants”).… Continue Reading

With federal student loans approaching $1.7 trillion, private student loans approaching $129 billion, strident consumer group advocacy, and national elections on the horizon, student loan origination and servicing continues to be a focal point for federal and state regulators.  In this episode, which repurposes a webinar, we first discuss recent developments at the Department of Education involving loan forgiveness, the framework for servicer accountability, preemption guidance, and new repayment plan. … Continue Reading

Several national and Texas banking and business trade groups have filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas challenging the final regulations (Final Rules) implementing the Community Reinvestment Act of 1977 (CRA) that were jointly adopted in October 2023 by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, and Federal Reserve Board (Agencies). … Continue Reading

Patrick McHenry, the Republican Chair of the House Financial Services Committee, and two other Republican Committee members have sent a letter to Director Chopra regarding the CFPB’s proposed rule to supervise nonbank companies that qualify as larger participants in a market for “general-use digital consumer payment applications.” 

The proposal is based on the CFPB’s authority to supervise nonbank entities considered to be “a larger participant of a market for other consumer financial products or services.” … Continue Reading

In October 2023, the CFPB issued a groundbreaking proposal on personal financial data.  This episode, which repurposes a webinar, begins with a review of the background of the rulemaking.  We then discuss key provisions of the proposal, including the entities, data, and financial products and services that would be covered, the obligations that would be imposed on covered entities, and exceptions to the proposal’s requirements. … Continue Reading

In a blog post published earlier this week titled “The CFPB’s enforcement work in 2023 and what lies ahead,” the CFPB discussed its 2023 enforcement activity and highlighted its plans to expand its enforcement capacity in 2024.

The CFPB indicated that in 2023, it filed 29 enforcement actions and resolved through final orders 6 previously-filed lawsuits.  … Continue Reading

New FCC rules under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act will mean big changes for businesses, particularly comparison shopping websites, lead generators, and other companies that regularly contact consumers via phone or text message.  On February 20, 2024, from 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. ET, Ballard Spahr will hold a webinar in which members of the firm’s Telephone Consumer Protection Act Industry Group will discuss:

  • The so-called “lead generator loophole” and the FCC’s efforts to close it.
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The scope of national bank preemption is currently before the U.S. Supreme Court in Cantero v. Bank of America, N.A.  A New York statute requires the payment of interest on mortgage escrow accounts and the question before the Supreme Court is whether the National Bank Act (NBA) preempts application of the New York statute to national banks. … Continue Reading