CFPB, Federal Agencies, State Agencies, and Attorneys General
Consistent with expectations that the CFPB under Director Chopra’s leadership would take an expansive view of its statutory authorities, the CFPB has announced its intention to use its authority to prohibit unfair, deceptive, or abusive acts or practices (UDAAPs) to target discriminatory conduct, even where fair lending laws may not apply.
Specifically, the CFPB is…
The California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation (DFPI) has issued an invitation for comments from interested parties on draft rules to implement certain provisions of the California Consumer Financial Protection Law (CCFPL) which became effective on January 1, 2021. The CCFPL provisions that the draft rules would implement deal with (1) procedures for a…
The CFPB recently issued a consent order against 3rd Generation, Inc., doing business as California Auto Finance (California Auto), regarding interest charged on consumers’ late payment of the fee charged for California Auto’s Loss Damage Waiver (LDW) product. The consent order requires California Auto to refund $168,162 to customers with paid-off accounts, issue $117,582 in…
The CFPB recently entered into a consent order with Nationwide Equities Corporation (Nationwide), which the CFPB refers to as a mortgage broker and mortgage lender that primarily provides jumbo reverse mortgage loans and Home Equity Conversion Mortgage Loans (HECMs). The CFPB asserts in the consent order that Nationwide engaged in direct mail advertising practices that…
An article recently published by the Student Borrower Protection Center titled “Discrimination is ‘Unfair’,” argues that the CFPB, FTC, state attorneys general and regulators, and in some cases private individuals, should consider challenging discrimination as an “unfair” practice covered by federal and state laws prohibiting unfair, deceptive, or abusive acts and practices. (The authors are…
The CFPB announced earlier this week that it has entered into a proposed settlement of its lawsuit filed in a California federal district court against SettleIt, Inc., a debt settlement company, alleging that the company engaged in abusive acts or practices in violation of the Consumer Financial Protection Act and also violated the Telemarketing Sales…
The California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation (DFPI) announced last week that it has entered into a consent order that permanently bars James Berry and any company he owns or controls from soliciting customers for Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) financing and seeking future enrollment as a solicitor for PACE programs. In its press…
The CFPB announced yesterday that it is rescinding its January 2020 policy statement, “Statement of Policy Regarding Prohibition on Abusive Acts or Practices.” The rescission is effective on the date the CFPB’s notice of the rescission is published in the Federal Register.
The rescission was foreshadowed by Acting Director Uejio in his statement to Bureau…
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court issued its highly anticipated decision in Gregg v. Ameriprise Financial, Inc. at the end of last week.
In 1996, the General Assembly amended the catchall provision of the Unfair Trade Practices and Consumer Protection Law, 73 P.S. 201-2(4)(xi), to prohibit anyone who advertises, sells, or distributes goods or services from “engaging…
As we recently reported, the CFPB released new guidance on January 13, 2021, in an effort to give industry participants more concrete guidance about how to tackle the sometimes-daunting issue of serving customers in non-English languages. Director Kraninger announced the guidance in a blog post of her own, and reached out with telephone calls…
