Goodwin’s Consumer Finance Insights (CFI) monitors, reports, and analyzes the latest legal news, activity, and developments impacting the consumer finance industry. Consumer financial services companies—whether banks, fintechs, nonbank and alternative lenders, payment providers, or industry vendors or service providers, like digital advertisers and lead generators—face a constantly shifting and maturing regulatory and legal landscape. Growing from the Financial Crisis, today more than any time in history the consumer finance industry must confront a robust and growing body of industry legislation and regulation, all while under the microscope of sophisticated enforcers, like the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), Federal Trade Commission (FTC), and state regulators and attorneys general. It is critical for in-house and outside corporate counsel, compliance departments, and business executives to stay informed and aware of these developments to navigate institutional, reputational, and legal risks. Goodwin’s CFI is a singular source of the most recent industry news and latest enforcement activity for you to leverage. Here, you will find links to original enforcement documents, enforcement activity statistics, and reports, analysis, and commentary from Goodwin’s leading Consumer Financial Services Litigation and Enforcement practitioners.

Alli Schoenthal Joins as New York Head of Consumer Financial Services Litigation + Enforcement

Enforcement Watch and Goodwin’s Consumer Financial Services Enforcement Team are excited to announce the arrival of Alli Schoenthal to our team! Alli will reside in our New York office.  Alli represents banks, trusts, lenders, government-sponsored enterprises, private equity firms, and loan servicers in consumer finance litigation and enforcement matters.  Her practice…

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Alli Schoenthal Joins as New York Head of Consumer Financial Services Litigation + Enforcement

LenderLaw Watch and Goodwin’s Consumer Financial Services Litigation Team are excited to announce the arrival of Alli Schoenthal to our team! Alli will reside in our New York office.  Alli represents banks, trusts, lenders, government-sponsored enterprises, private equity firms, and loan servicers in consumer finance litigation and enforcement matters.  Her…

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CFPB Sues Connecticut-Based Mortgage Lender

​On January 15, 2021, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) announced it had filed suit in the United States District Court for the District of Connecticut against a Connecticut-based mortgage company and three individual defendants for alleged violations of the Truth in Lending Act (TILA)​, the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), the Equal Credit Opportunity Act…

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Minnesota AG Settles with Student Loan Debt-Relief Company for Allegedly Unlawful Fee Collection

On January 14, 2021, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison (Minnesota AG​​) announced that his office reached a settlement with a California-based student loan debt-relief company that allegedly collected unlawful fees from customers and made misrepresentations to them regarding its ability to forgive student loans. According to the Minnesota AG, the company allegedly made false promises to…

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FTC Reaches $1.5 Million Settlement with Payment Processor Over Fraud Allegations

FTC

On December 10, 2020, the Federal Trade Commission (Commission) announced that it reached a settlement with a payment processor and its former CEO for alleged violations of the Federal Trade Commission Act (FTCA). The complaint alleges that the payment processor illegally processed more than $93 million in consumer credit card charges related to fraudulent…

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Supreme Court Debates Grammar, Syntax In Case That Will Define the Limits of TCPA Litigation

On December 8, 2020, the United States Supreme Court held oral argument in the case of Facebook, Inc. v. Duguid, No. 19-511, concerning the circuit split over what type of equipment qualifies as an “automatic telephone dialing system” (ATDS) within the statutory definition of that term set forth in Telephone…

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CFPB Enters Into $4.75 Million Consent Order With Subprime Auto Lender and Servicer for FCRA Violations

On December 22, 2020, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) announced that it had entered into a consent order with a national lender and originator of subprime auto loans over the company’s alleged violations of Section 623(a)(1)(A) of the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) (15 U.S.C. § 1681-s2(a)) and Regulation V, 12 C.F.R. § 1022.42(a). The…

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CFPB Secures Consent Order Against Student Loan Servicer for Failure to Comply with 2015 Consent Order and Alleged Deceptive Acts and Practices

On December 22, 2020, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) announced​ that it had secured a consent order ​against a national student loan servicer based on its failure to comply with a 2015 consent order issued by the CFPB.  Specifically, the company misrepresented the minimum periodic payments owed by consumers on their student loans, misrepresented…

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CFPB Announces Consent Order with Remittance Transfer Provider

On December 21, 2020, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) announced that it had entered into a consent order with a remittance transfer provider, with locations in 15 states and the District of Columbia.  Remittance transfers are transfers of money by consumers in the United States to individuals living abroad.  The consent order states that…

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CFPB Enters Into Consent Order With Servicer Concerning Foreclosure-Related Practices

On December 18, 2020, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (Bureau) announced that it had entered into a consent order with a mortgage servicing company (and its successor in interest) resolving allegations that the company’s conduct between 2014 and 2018 violated the Consumer Financial Protection Act (CFPA) and Regulation X, the implementing regulations of the…

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Pennsylvania AG Halts Operations of Student Loan Forgiveness Company

​On December​ 16, 2020, the Pennsylvania Attorney General (Pennsylvania AG) announced ​a settlement with a California-based student loan forgiveness company for alleged violations of state consumer protection laws.  According to the Pennslyvania AG, the company used false advertising tactics and posted fraudulent customer reviews on the Better Business Bureau website.  Further, the company…

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CFPB and Arkansas AG Settle with Home Security Company for Alleged FCRA and CFPA Violations

On December 11, 2020, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (Bureau) and the Arkansas Attorney General (AG) announced that they filed a complaint and proposed stipulated judgment in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas against a home-security company​.  The complaint alleges that the company—which provided credit to customers for its products and services—violated the Consumer…

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CFPB Files Complaint Against Missouri-Based Debt Collector

On December 9, 2020, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) announced that it had filed a complaint against a Missouri-based debt collection company in federal court in the Western District of Missouri.  The CFPB alleges the company violated the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA), 15 U.S.C. §§ 1692e and 1692g and the Consumer Financial…

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OCC Proposes Rule to Ensure Banks Offer Fair Access to Financial Services

On November 20, 2020, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) issued a proposed rule with the objective of ensuring banks offer fair access to financial services. Certain banks have received significant political pressure from various for-profit and not-for-profit organizations to deny financial services to customers in certain…

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CFPB Settles with Debt Collection Company for Alleged CFPA and FDCPA Violations

​On December 8, 2020, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (Bureau) announced that it had entered into a consent order​ with a New Jersey debt collection company, resolving allegations that the debt collection company violated the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) and the Consumer Financial Protection Act (CFPA). The debt collection company was engaged…

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CFPB Files Suit Against Online Lender for Alleged Violations of Military Lending Act

​On December 4, 2020, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) announced that it filed suit against an online lender that offers single-payment and installment loans to consumers for alleged violations of the Military Lending Act (MLA).  The MLA contains protections associated with extensions of consumer credit for active-duty servicemembers, including a maximum allowable annual…

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FTC Reaches Settlement With Debt Collection Company for “Debt Parking” Scheme

On November 30, 2020 the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced ​that it had reached a settlement with a debt collection company for its “debt parking scheme” (also known as “passive debt collection”)​​ in which the company allegedly placed bogus or questionable debts on consumers’ credit reports in an attempt to coerce them to pay the…

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CFPB Issues No Action Letter Related to Use of Artificial Intelligence Underwriting Model

On November 30, 2020, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) granted a no-action letter​ to an online loan marketplace company for its artificial intelligence (AI) loan origination and underwriting platform.​ The company offers an AI-based underwriting model for banks, credit unions, and non-bank lenders to use in originating loans. Consumers provide information to start a loan…

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