On October 18, 2017, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) published guidelines for financial institutions to use when authorizing third-party access to consumers’ financial information. These guidelines are targeted at protecting consumers who give their consent to allow other companies to access their account information. Companies—including fintech firms, banks, and…
On October 20, 2017, the Ninth Circuit reversed the Southern District of California’s remand of a putative class action alleging that defendant Monterey Financial Services improperly recorded calls to individuals in California and Washington. In Brinkley v. Monterey Financial Services, Inc., the Ninth Circuit held that the plaintiff had not…
On October 12, 2017, the OCC published the section of its policy and procedures manual, PPM 5000-43, entitled “Impact of Evidence of Discrimination or Other Illegal Credit Practices on Community Reinvestment Act Ratings.” The Policy’s purpose is to provide guidance to OCC examiners in determining whether (and by how much)…
On October 3, 2017, the U.S. House of Representatives’ Financial Services Committee conducted a hearing on possible housing finance reform measures titled “Sustainable Housing Finance: An Update from the Director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency.” The hearing specifically addressed housing finance reform as it pertains to government-sponsored entities (GSEs)…
On October 5, 2017 the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) revealed its final rule regulating payday lending. For the past five years, the CFPB had been doing research and seeking comments from the industry on how to address its concerns with what it calls “lending traps” associated with small-dollar lending….
On September 29, 2017, the United States Chamber of Commerce and various business and financial services groups (collectively, Plaintiffs) filed a complaint for declaratory and injunctive relief in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas, alleging that—for four independent reasons—the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s (CFPB) recently-issued…
On October 4, 2017, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) issued an interim final rule amending a provision of Regulation X regarding the timing for mortgage servicers to communicate with borrowers about foreclosure prevention alternatives. On the same date, the CFPB also issued a proposed rule regarding timing requirements for…
On September 27, 2017, the Southern District of Florida dismissed a Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act (FACTA) suit against Burger King on standing grounds. In Gesten v. Burger King Corp., Case No. 1:17-cv-22541 (S.D. Fla), the Court joined numerous other courts finding that, where a FACTA plaintiff’s only alleged…
On September 12, 2017, the U.S. House of Representatives’ Financial Services Subcommittee on Financial Institutions and Consumer Credit and the Subcommittee on Monetary Policy and Trade conducted a joint hearing titled, “Examining the Relationship Between Prudential Regulation and Monetary Policy at the Federal Reserve.” A link to the videotaped testimony…
The issue of cybersecurity is back in front of Congress in the wake of the news of the data breach at Equifax Inc., which reportedly has affected approximately 143 million consumers. Various industry trade groups, including the National Retail Federation, wrote a letter to Congress to advocate a sweeping uniform national law…
On August 23, 2017, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) published guidance on filings required by national banks and federal savings associations (collectively referred to here as “banks”) pertaining to “substantial asset changes.” The guidance lists various events that are considered substantial asset changes for which banks must…
On August 21, 2017, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) issued Bulletin 2017-28, providing risk management guidance to lenders offering residential mortgage loans with loan-to-value (LTV) ratios that exceed 100 percent at origination (“high-LTV loans”) in connection with community redevelopment programs. Since the onset of the financial crisis,…
Last week, the Eleventh Circuit affirmed the Northern District of Georgia’s dismissal of a putative Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) case against Equifax and Transunion. In Pedro v. Equifax, Inc., plaintiff sought to represent a putative class of authorized users of delinquent credit cards who did not have payment obligations…
On August 15, 2017, the Northern District of Illinois denied class certification to a proposed Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) class in Legg v. PTZ Insurance Agency Ltd., No. 14 C 10043. The court held that, because some of the named plaintiffs consented to receive communications from the defendants, they…
On August 10, in Schweitzer v. Comenity Bank, No. 16-10498 (Aug. 10, 2017), a panel of the Eleventh Circuit expanded liability for companies under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act, 47 U.S.C. § 227 et seq. (TCPA). Building on the holding in Osorio v. State Farm Bank, F.S.B., 746 F.3d 1242, 1255 (11th…
On July 25, 2017, the U.S. House of Representatives voted to block the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s (CFPB) Arbitration Rule from becoming effective with a vote of 231 to 190. The vote was mostly down party lines and paves the way for the Senate to act to impose its own…
Yesterday, the Ninth Circuit issued its opinion in Robins v. Spokeo, finding that plaintiff Thomas Robins has standing to continue his Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) suit against Spokeo, Inc. In its opinion, a unanimous panel of the Ninth Circuit articulated a two-part concreteness test to determine standing. The court…
On August 4, 2017, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) published four prototypes of model overdraft disclosure forms the Bureau is testing as part of its broader “Know Before You Owe” efforts. The prototypes are an important indicator that the CFPB is still actively paying attention to issues concerning overdraft…
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is using consumer complaints in its effort to quell alleged illegal robocalls. On September 1, 2009, the FTC issued rules prohibiting robocalls made without a consumer’s prior written authorization. Yet, the FTC’s research shows that robocalls persist. According to the FTC’s Do Not Call Reported Calls…
Last week, the Seventh Circuit affirmed the dismissal of two Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) class actions on Spokeo grounds. The cases, which were consolidated for appeal, were filed by the same plaintiff against two corporate defendants alleged to have provided credit-report disclosures that did not comply with the FCRA. …