congressional review act

American Banker has reported that the Government Accountability Office has accepted a request from Senator Pat Toomey on whether the CFPB’s indirect auto finance guidance issued in March 2013 is a “rule” under the Congressional Review Act (CRA).  It reported that the GAO also accepted a similar request from Senator Toomey regarding the leveraged lending guidance issued jointly by the OCC, Fed and FDIC. … Continue Reading

The CFPB’s final prepaid card rule has survived Republican efforts to nullify the rule under the Congressional Review Act (CRA).  The CRA establishes a special set of procedures through which Congress can nullify final regulations issued by a federal agency.  While a CRA joint resolution of disapproval must be approved by both Houses of Congress, it cannot be filibustered in the Senate and can be passed with only a simple majority. … Continue Reading

Clients are always asking me and others in our Consumer Financial Services Group about how long Richard Cordray will remain as CFPB Director.  The short answer is nobody knows, perhaps not even Richard Cordray.  There are a number of factors, however, that lead me to believe that he will remain as Director until the end of his term on July 16, 2018 unless he voluntarily resigns before then to run for Governor of Ohio.… 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

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 Monday, during “The CFPB Speaks” panel I moderated that was part of the Practicing Law Institute’s 22nd Annual Consumer Financial Services Institute in Manhattan, Diane Thompson, Deputy Assistant Director of the CFPB’s Office of Regulations, reported that the CFPB is still reviewing comment letters on its proposed arbitration rule (which would preclude the use of class action waivers) and gave no timetable as to when it will issue a final arbitration rule.… Continue Reading

We have previously written about the Congressional Review Act (“CRA”), a law that establishes a procedure by which Congress can nullify a covered rule adopted by a federal agency.  According to a memorandum prepared by the Congressional Research Service (“CRS”), the CRA “was largely intended to assert control over agency rulemaking by establishing a special set of expedited or ‘fast track’ legislative procedures for this purpose, primarily in the Senate.”… Continue Reading

We have previously written about the Congressional Review Act (“CRA”), which was enacted as part of the Contract with America Advancement Act of 1996.  The CRA created a fast-track legislative process for Congress to nullify a covered federal rule by passing a joint resolution of disapproval that would then be presented to the President for approval or veto. … Continue Reading

Last week, the Wall Street Journal reported that the CFPB is pushing to finalize its arbitration rule before Donald Trump’s inauguration as President on January 20.  The comment period on the proposed rule closed on August 22, 2016.

The article suggested that the CFPB may also attempt to finalize its rule on payday, title, and high-cost installment loans by January 20. … Continue Reading