Search Results: Litigation

Constitutionality of Shortened Time Limits on New York Foreclosures Still Unresolved

On September 12, 2024, New York’s highest court dismissed an appeal challenging the constitutionality of the retroactive application of the Foreclosure Abuse Prevention Act (“FAPA”), a law that amended certain New York rules to strictly cabin the time limits for commencing mortgage foreclosures.  The Court of Appeals, on its own motion,…

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Seventh Circuit Revives CFPB’s ECOA Action Alleging Discrimination Against Prospective Applicants Against Nonbank Lender

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…

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CFPB Files Proposed Judgment in Bank Suit Regarding the Opening of Unauthorized Accounts

​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…

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Chamber of Commerce Sues CFPB To Eliminate or Enjoin $8 Late Fee Cap

Last week, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce (Chamber) joined five other trade associations to sue the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) and its director Rohit Chopra in Texas Federal District Court, seeking a court order declaring a recent CFPB rule arbitrary and capricious, vacating the rule, and enjoining its enforcement. In…

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Awaiting Appellate Precedent on Whether Recent New York Foreclosure Limits Are Constitutional

Over a year after becoming law, New York’s Foreclosure Abuse Prevention Act, L. 2022, ch. 821 (eff. Dec. 30, 2022) (FAPA) continues to divide trial courts regarding the constitutionality of the law’s retroactive application.  Appellate level guidance remains wanting. FAPA amended certain New York rules related to the time limits…

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FTC and CFPB Announce $15 Million Settlement Against Credit Reporting Agency For Alleged Inaccuracies In Tenant Screening Reports

​On October 12, 2023, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) announced that they filed a joint complaint​ and obtained a $15 million settlement​ against a parent credit reporting agency and one of its subsidiaries for alleged violations of the Fair Credit Report Act (FCRA) with respect to tenant…

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Bureau Sues Lease-to-Own Company for its Financing Options to Asset Limited Consumers

On July 19, 2023, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (“CFPB”) sued Snap Finance LLC, Snap R TO LLC, Snap Second Look LLC, Snap U.S. Holdings LLC, and Snap Finance Holdings LLC (collectively, the Snap Defendants or Snap).  The complaint alleged that the Snap Defendants violated the: Consumer Financial Protection Act…

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CFPB Files Opening Brief in its Appeal of District Court Ruling that ECOA Applies Only to Applicants

On June 14, 2023, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) filed its opening brief in its appeal of a U.S. district court’s decision in the CFPB’s enforcement action against Townstone Mortgage (Townstone).  The CFPB’s brief argues that the Seventh Circuit should reverse the district court’s holding that the Equal Credit…

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New York Courts Split on the Constitutionality of the Foreclosure Abuse Prevention Act

In the six months since New York’s governor signed the Foreclosure Abuse Prevention Act, L. 2022, ch. 821 (eff. Dec. 30, 2022) (FAPA), a split has emerged about whether the law applies retroactively. FAPA strictly cabins the time limits for commencing mortgage foreclosures by amending five New York procedural rules…

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Pennsylvania Attorney General Settles $11 Million Dollar Lawsuit with Lender

​On May 15, 2023, the Pennsylvania Attorney General (PA AG) announced ​that it reached a $11.4 million settlement with a rent-to-own lender and its affiliates. This settlement resolves a lawsuit filed by the PA AG in Pennsylvania state court in which the PA AG alleged that the lender violated state law by misrepresenting the terms of its rental-purchase agreements…

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Goodwin Year-In-Review Confirms 2022 Was a Regulatory Harbinger of What is in Store for The Consumer Finance Industry In 2023

Global law firm Goodwin today announced the release of its seventh annual Consumer Finance Year in Review. Produced by the firm’s Consumer Financial Services Litigation and Enforcement + Government Investigations practices, and authored by partners Anthony Alexis, Sabrina Rose-Smith, Kyle Tayman, Levi Swank, Matt Riffee, and Christina Hennecken, the in-depth…

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CFPB Proposes Rule That Nonbanks Must Publicly Register with CFPB When They Use Certain Terms and Conditions in Form Contracts

On January 11, 2023 the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) proposed a rule (“Proposed Rule”) that would require “most nonbanks subject to the Bureau’s supervisory authority” to “register annually in [a] system” that is created and operated by the CFPB when their form contracts “use certain terms or conditions that…

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CFPB Proposes Rule That Nonbanks Subject to Certain Public Orders Must Publicly Register with CFPB As a Means of Detecting “Repeat Offenders”

On December 12, 2022, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (“CFPB”) proposed a rule (“Proposed Rule”) that would require non-bank financial institutions to register with the CFPB when they become subject to certain final public orders by a Federal, State, or local government agency in connection with the offering or provision…

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CFPB Files Certiorari Petition With the U.S. Supreme Court Seeking Review of the Fifth Circuit’s Decision in Community Fin. Services

On November 15, 2022, less than one month after the Fifth Circuit panel’s decision in Community Fin. Services Assoc. of Am. Ltd., No. 21-50826 (5th Cir. Oct. 19, 2022) and more than two months before its 90-day deadline, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) filed a certiorari petition with the…

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Pennsylvania AG Sues Lead Generators For Deceptive Ads

On November 2, 2022, the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General filed a lawsuit in federal court alleging that a group of companies offering lead generation services violated the Telemarketing Sales Rule (“TSR”), 16 C.F.R. Part 310, and Pennsylvania consumer protection law, 73 P.S. §§ 201-3 and 201-4, by engaging in…

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Fifth Circuit Issues Decision Holding that the Funding Mechanism for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Is Unconstitutional

On October 19, 2022, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals (Fifth Circuit) held that the funding mechanism for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) is unconstitutional and violates the Appropriations Clause of the Constitution.  Community Fin. Services Assoc. of Am. Ltd., No. 21-50826 (5th Cir. Oct. 19, 2022).  In light…

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