The CFPB and the Arkansas Attorney General announced that they filed a proposed stipulated judgment and order settling their Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) and Consumer Financial Protection Act of 2010 (CFPA) claims against Alder Holdings, LLC, a home-alarm company that extends closed-end credit to its customers by providing them the right to defer payment
State Enforcement
CFPB settles lawsuit against companies that brokered pension advance products structured as purchases
The CFPB and the South Carolina Department of Consumer Affairs (SCDCA) recently settled a lawsuit they filed jointly in a South Carolina federal district court in October 2019 against Performance Arbitrage Company, Inc. and Life Funding Options, Inc., and their individual owner that alleged the defendants violated the Consumer Financial Protection Act and the South…
New Jersey Attorney General sues merchant cash advance providers
The New Jersey Attorney General recently filed a lawsuit in New Jersey state court against Yellowstone Capital LLC, its parent Fundry.US LLC, and various Yellowstone subsidiaries and affiliates alleging that the defendants violated the New Jersey Consumer Fraud Act (CFA) and the New Jersey Regulations Governing General Advertising (Advertising Regulations) in connection with marketing and…
PLI 25th Annual Consumer Financial Services Institute – 25% discount available
PLI’s 25th Annual Consumer Financial Services Institute will take place on December 7-8, 2020 by live webcast.
The Institute is considered the country’s premier consumer financial services CLE program and this year’s Institute will once again explore in detail important developments in consumer financial services regulation and litigation. I am again co-chairing the event, as…
DFPI to have increased authority to seek refunds and other remedies in enforcement of California Financing Law as of January 1, 2021
We have recently focused on the DFPI’s expanded authorities under California Consumer Protection Law, the Debt Collection Licensing Act, and the Student Borrower Bill of Rights. In addition to these blockbuster bills, this legislative session included a short bill impacting the DFPI’s enforcement authority under the California Financing Law (“CFL”), which has…
NYDFS brings first action to enforce state’s debt collection regulation
The New York Department of Financial Services (DFS) announced on September 16 that it has filed a Statement of Charges against debt collector Forster & Garbus LLP (Forster) for alleged violations of the state’s Debt Collection Regulation, Part 1 of Title 23 of the New York Codes, Rules, and Regulations, promulgated in 2015. The alleged…
California Dept. of Business Oversight launches “true lender” investigation of auto title lender’s partnership with Utah bank
On September 3, 2020, the California Department of Business Oversight (DBO) announced that it has launched a formal investigation into whether Wheels Financial Group, LLC d/b/a LoanMart, formerly one of California’s largest state-licensed auto title lenders, “is evading California’s newly-enacted interest rate caps through its recent partnership with an out-of-state bank.” Coupled with the California…
Third Circuit rules CFPB lawsuit against federal student loan servicer did not preclude PA AG’s parallel lawsuit, federal law did not preempt PA UDAP claims
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit ruled last week in Commonwealth of Pennsylvania v. Navient Corp. that the PA Attorney General could bring a parallel enforcement action against Navient, a servicer of federal student loans, under the Consumer Financial Protection Act (CFPA) even though the CFPB had previously filed a lawsuit against…
Attorney General for District of Columbia Files “True Lender” Complaint Against Elevate Bank Program
The Attorney General for the District of Columbia, Karl A. Racine, (the “AG”) has filed a complaint against Elevate Credit, Inc. (“Elevate”) in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia alleging violations of the D.C. Consumer Protection Procedures Act including a “true lender” attack related to Elevate’s “Rise” and “Elastic” products offered through bank-model…
This week’s podcast: An interview with Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser
We explore a wide range of topics with AG Weiser including: who are his key staff members and their backgrounds; his office’s actions in response to COVID-19; recent changes to the CO Consumer Protection Act; and his office’s activities concerning student loans, robocalls, payday lending, and data privacy and security and its approach to consumer…