On August 7, 2024, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) issued a report spotlighting four marketing and financing practices relating to solar financing that it claims pose significant consumer risks (the Report). The CFPB noted that solar-powered electricity is a growing industry—suggesting that these risks may become an enforcement priority. …
On August 21, 2024, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) announced that it entered into a consent order with a Florida-based mortgage servicer, resolving allegations related to the mortgage servicer’s foreclosure practices. The consent order resolves allegations that the mortgage servicer’s foreclosure practices violated the Consumer Financial Protection Act of 2010 (CFPA), 12 U.S.C. §§ 5531, 5536; the…
On July 26, 2024, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) announced that it filed a complaint against a point-of-sale financing company and its former chief executive officer in the United States District Court for the District of Utah. The complaint alleges that defendants’ “virtual rent-to-own” product uses misleading marketing and abusive enrollment practices that target consumers with…
On July 11, the Seventh Circuit held that the Equal Credit Opportunity Act, 15 U.S.C. § 1691 et seq. (ECOA) authorizes the imposition of liability for the discouragement of prospective applicants. See CFPB v. Townstone Financial, Inc., ___ F.4th ___ (7th Cir. 2024), 2024 WL 3370023. As anticipated in Goodwin’s…
On July 9, 2024, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) announced that it filed a proposed stipulated final judgment and order in its suit against a national bank accused of allegedly opening unauthorized accounts on behalf of consumers. The proposed judgment would resolve allegations that the bank opened unauthorized accounts in the names of its customers. As…
On July 9, 2024, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) announced that it entered into a consent order with a national bank, resolving allegations related to the bank’s auto lending practices. The consent order related to auto lending practices resolves allegations that the bank’s practices related to force-placed insurance policies violated the Consumer Financial Protection Act of 2010 (CFPA), 12…
On June 24, 2024, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) announced that it had approved a new rule about the use of algorithms and artificial intelligence (AI) for home appraisals and valuations. The new rule was promulgated by the CFPB, the Federal Reserve, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the National…
Earlier this month, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) issued a proposed rule to amend Regulation V, which implements the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), as to medical information and debt. This proposed rule follows Director Chopra’s remarks in March 2022, concerning a report on medical billing and collection practices…
On June 18, 2024, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) announced that it has filed a proposed order that would require a Florida-based nonbank mortgage loan originator to pay a $3.95 million penalty for allegedly submitting incorrect loan data to federal regulators. In an October 2023 complaint, the CFPB accused the mortgage originator of…
On June 18, 2024, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB or Bureau) announced that it has entered into consent orders with two companies totaling $16.5 million in civil penalties and consumer redress, resolving allegations that those companies failed to properly service reverse mortgages. The CFPB alleged both companies violated the Consumer Financial Protection Act…
On April 2, 2024, a putative class action was brought against a wholesale mortgage lender alleging, among other claims, violations of Section 8(a) of the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA). Unlike conventional mortgage providers that analyze the borrower’s creditworthiness and then provide the mortgage, wholesale mortgage lenders receive mortgage…
On May 31, 2024, the CFPB announced that it had filed suit against a Pennsylvania-based student loan servicer for engaging in allegedly unfair, deceptive and abusive acts or practices in violation of the CFPA, 12 U.S.C. §§ 5531, 5536(a)(1)(B), and for failing to establish reasonable credit reporting procedures in violation of Regulation V, 12…
On May 16, 2024, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a significant opinion in Consumer Financial Protection Bureau v. Community Financial Services Association of America, Ltd., upholding the funding structure of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). 601 U.S. 416. In a previous post, we reported that on October 3, 2023,…
On May 20, 2024, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) announced that it had entered into a consent order with a California-based telemarketer that offered student loan debt relief services resolving allegations that the company charged illegal advance fees and misled student loan borrowers. This telemarketer allegedly claimed to be affiliated with the Department of…
On May 9, 2024, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) issued a new Issue Spotlight regarding growing problems in the credit card rewards program industry. Credit card rewards programs have become increasingly complex in recent years. Especially for credit cards with high annual fees, a key part of attracting interest…
In April 2024, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB or Bureau) and the Commissioner for Justice and Consumer Protection of the European Commission (European Commission) announced that three meetings had been convened with senior staff and subject matter experts to discuss “shared priority areas” of concern for consumer financial protection…
On May 7, 2024, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) announced that it had entered into a consent order with a financial technology company, resolving allegations that the company committed unfair acts or practices in violation of the Consumer Financial Protection Act (CFPA), by failing to provide consumers who closed their accounts with timely…
On May 6, 2024, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) announced that it filed a complaint and two proposed stipulated final judgments to resolve its claims against the National Collegiate Student Loan Trusts (the Trusts) and the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency d/b/a American Education Services (PHEAA). The CFPB alleges that the Trusts and PHEAA violated…
On April 24, 2024, the CFPB released its Supervisory Highlights, Mortgage Servicing Edition, (Issue 33, Spring 2024) which provides insight on the CFPB’s current focus in examining mortgage loan servicers. According to the CFPB it “continues to prioritize scrutiny of exploitative illegal fees charged by banks and financial companies, commonly…
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) recently issued a new procedural rule to streamline how it determines which nondepository institutions it has the authority to supervise. According to the CFPB, the new rule coincides with a change in organizational structure. But it also indicates an affirmative broadening of its regulatory reach….