On January 31, 2023, the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office (“Mass AG”) announced a settlement with Hometown Auto Framingham, Inc. (“Hometown Auto”), resolving allegations that the auto dealership had engaged in unfair, deceptive, and discriminatory pricing of add-on products sold to Black and Hispanic consumers. Under the terms of the settlement, Hometown Auto will pay $350,000, which includes $200,000 in restitution and a $150,000 civil penalty.… Continue Reading
California Enforcement Sweep Targets Mobile Apps – With a Focus on Honoring “Permission Slip” App
On Friday, January 27, California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced an investigative sweep of businesses that provide mobile apps, issuing warning letters to those that AG Bonta alleges failed to comply with the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA). This sweep focused specifically on “popular retail, travel, and food service industry apps” that failed to comply with consumer opt-out requests or otherwise failed to offer mechanisms for consumers to stop the sale of their personal information. … Continue Reading
New Jersey Attorney General settles lawsuit against merchant cash advance providers
The New Jersey Attorney General recently announced a settlement in its lawsuit against Yellowstone Capital LLC, its parent company, and various 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 providing merchant cash advances (MCAs). … Continue Reading
Credit unions settle GAP fee refund cases with Colorado Attorney General
On January 4, 2023, Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser announced settlements with two state-chartered credit unions, Bellco Credit Union (“Bellco”) and Canvas Credit Union (“Canvas”), over Guaranteed Automobile Protection (commonly referred to as Guaranteed Asset Protection, or “GAP”) refunds. An investigation conducted by the Consumer Protection Section of the Colorado Department of Law found that the credit unions were not refunding GAP fees owed to consumers under state law. … Continue Reading
36 State Attorneys General settle with CarMax over non-disclosure of open safety recalls
On December 1, 2022, nationwide used car dealer CarMax Auto Superstores, Inc. (“CarMax”) and 36 state attorneys general announced a $1 million multistate settlement that will require CarMax to disclose open recalls related to the safety of its used vehicles before consumers purchase them. The settlement resolves an investigation into CarMax’s advertising and sales practices related to vehicle recalls since 2014. … Continue Reading
This week’s podcast episode: Recent enforcement activities of state attorneys general, with special guest Shennan Kavanaugh, Division Chief, Consumer Protection Division (CPD), Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office
While most attention is focused on the CFPB, state attorneys general are very active in investigating and enforcing state laws relating to consumer financial services (and often federal laws when incorporated into state law or when using their Dodd-Frank authority). We first discuss the CPD’s priorities and how they are determined; use of its state law UDAP authority and available remedies; enforcement of federal law; and collaboration with the CFPB and other state AGs.… Continue Reading
Pennsylvania Attorney General files lawsuit against lead generator for role in assisting unlawful telemarketing calls
On November 3, 2022, Pennsylvania Attorney General (and Governor-Elect) Josh Shapiro announced that his office had filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania against New York-based Fluent, Inc.—a lead generator that connects companies to potential new customers through the consumers’ harvested personal data—and its subsidiaries for their role in allegedly assisting and facilitating the making of hundreds of thousands of unwanted telemarketing calls to Pennsylvania consumers. … Continue Reading
GOP lawmakers question CFPB’s relationship with state attorneys general and take aim at interpretive rule on state enforcement authority
Three Republican House members sent a letter last week to CFPB Director Chopra raising questions about the Bureau’s relationship with state attorneys general and its interpretive rule issued in May 2022 regarding the authority of state attorneys general and state regulators (State Officials) to enforce the Consumer Financial Protection Act (CFPA).… Continue Reading
This week’s podcast episode: A conversation with special guest Phil Weiser, Colorado Attorney General
AG Weiser discusses the areas of consumer financial services that are a current focus of his office’s efforts. After discussing the role of the newly-created Office of Financial Empowerment in addressing the needs of unbanked consumers, AG Weiser discusses his office’s activities concerning deceptive fees (including the types of fees of primary concern and the requirements of Colorado’s new automatic renewal law), robocalls, and student loans. … Continue Reading
New CFPB interpretive rule outlines broad state CFPA enforcement authority
The CFPB has issued a new interpretive rule regarding the authority of state attorneys general and state regulators (State Officials) to enforce the Consumer Financial Protection Act (CFPA).
CFPA Section 1042(a) (12 U.S.C. Section 5552) authorizes “the attorney general (or the equivalent thereof) of any State” to bring “a civil action…to enforce the provisions of [the CFPA] or regulations issued under [the CFPA] and to secure remedies under provisions of [the CFPA] or remedies otherwise provided under other law.” … Continue Reading