Maryland

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On April 28, 2026, Governor Wes Moore of Maryland has signed into law the nation’s most aggressive state law aimed at so-called “surveillance pricing” and algorithmic price-setting. House Bill 895, titled the Protection From Predatory Pricing Act, will become effective on October 1, 2026. It restricts the use of personalized pricing, consumer data-driven pricing, and certain AI-enabled pricing practices, particularly in the food retail (operating establishments of at least 15,000 square feet) and delivery sectors.… Continue Reading

Maryland has joined the ranks of states considering legislation that would codify elements of “true lender” theory in an effort to impose federally preempted state licensing requirements and rate caps on loans to Maryland residents.

House Bill 254 (HB 254), introduced on January 10, 2024 in the Maryland House of Delegates, would add Subtitle 15 – the “True Lender Act” – to Title 12 (Credit Regulations) of the Maryland Commercial Law.… Continue Reading

Earlier this month, the Maryland Office of Financial Regulation (“OFR”) issued guidance (the “Guidance”) to provide clarity on how the OFR views Earned Wage Access (“EWA”) products and describe the requirements entities offering EWA products must adhere to.

Providing some background for the Guidance, EWA is a financial concept that allows employees to access a portion of their earned but unpaid wages before a regular payday. … Continue Reading

A Maryland administrative action recently removed to the state’s federal district court illustrates how Maryland law continues to present challenges for the bank partner structure used by many lenders.

Last month, Bank of Missouri, an FDIC-insured, Missouri state-chartered bank, and Atlanticus Service Corporation and Fortiva Financial, LLC, the Bank’s non-bank service providers, removed an administrative matter filed against them in January 2021 by the Maryland Department of Labor, Office of the Commissioner of Financial Regulation (OCFR) alleging that the Bank and Atlanticus/Fortiva violated Maryland law by failing to hold required Maryland lending and other licenses. … Continue Reading

The CFPB has filed an amicus brief in the Maryland Court of Appeals urging the court to affirm the decision of the Court of Special Appeals reversing the trial court’s approval of a settlement agreement in a class action lawsuit.  The defendants in the lawsuit include a company and individuals who are also defendants in a pending CFPB enforcement action.  … Continue Reading

Colorado and Maryland have each enacted legislation regulating student loan servicers. On May 13, Colorado Governor Jared Polis (D) signed into law SB 19-002, and that same day, Maryland Governor Larry Hogan (R) signed HB 594.

The Colorado law, SB19-002, is the more sweeping of the two, establishing a licensing requirement for student loan servicers, similar to what has been enacted in California, Connecticut, the District of Columbia, Illinois, Washington, and more recently, New York.… Continue Reading

According to a report issued earlier this month, the Maryland Financial Consumer Protection Commission is considering the adoption of the “Model State Consumer and Employee Justice Enforcement Act” developed several years ago by the National Consumer Law Center.

The Model Act proposes a number of “state interventions” aimed at preventing the alleged harms caused by “forced arbitration.” … Continue Reading

On May 15, Maryland Governor Larry Hogan signed into law a bill that, among other things, establishes the role of Student Loan Ombudsman within the Office of the Commissioner of Financial Regulation and sets forth various duties related to that position.

Maryland SB 1068, titled the Financial Consumer Protection Act of 2018, represents a scaled down version of an attempt by state lawmakers to regulate student loan servicers.… Continue Reading