On September 19, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) issued Circular 2023-03, which provides guidance as to how lenders must explain denials of applications of credit when the underwriting is based on artificial intelligence (AI) or complex credit models. The upshot of the guidance is that a lender that denies an application for credit

Less than three years after the U.S. Supreme Court reviewed the CFPB’s appointment structure, the bureau again finds itself before the Court in what could prove the most consequential case for the financial services industry in years. Four months ago, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals issued a decision in Community Financial Services Association of

The FTC issued a release on October 18, 2022, to announce that it has initiated an enforcement action in Maryland against a Washington, D.C.-area auto dealer group, Passport Automotive Group, as well as two of its executives, Everett Hellmuth and Jay Klein. In the same release, the FTC announced that Passport, Hellmuth, and Klein have

On October 19, 2022, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals issued its opinion in Community Financial Services Association of America, et al. v. CFPB (CFSA v. CFPB) invalidating the CFPB’s Payday, Vehicle-Title, and Certain High-Cost Installment Loans rule (Small-Dollar Rule). The three-member panel decision calls into question the future viability of the CFPB

Auto finance companies and others in the auto space should take note of a recent joint letter issued by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) and Department of Justice (DOJ) about the legal protections under the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA). In the letter, CFPB Director Rohit Chopra set out that “[t]he CFPB is closely

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) issued a release on May 2, 2022, announcing the release of its Supervisory Highlights outlining identified consumer protection violations during the second half of 2021. In particular, the CFPB highlighted two industries of concern in its press release: auto servicers and credit reporting companies.

As for auto servicers, the

In early February, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) sent its annual letter to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). The letter explained the FTC’s activities related to the Equal Credit Opportunity Act (ECOA) and Regulation B of ECOA. Pursuant to a January 2012 memorandum of understanding between the CFPB and the FTC, and consistent with

CFPB States Intent to Scrutinize Auto Lender Repossession PracticesOn February 28, 2022, the CFPB released a Compliance Bulletin and policy guidance entitled “Mitigating Harm from Repossession of Automobiles.” In its bulletin, the CFPB sets forth the objective of reminding market participants of certain legal obligations under federal consumer protection laws in light of what it perceived to be “risky auto repossession

Of Cars and Dwellings: Supreme Court of Wisconsin Expands the Meaning of “Dwelling,” Jeopardizing Vehicle Repossessions in the StateAs the new year turns the page, the Supreme Court of Wisconsin, in Duncan v. Asset Recovery Specialists, Inc., held that a repo agency violated the Wisconsin Consumer Act by repossessing a vehicle parked in the borrower’s apartment building garage when the garage door was left open.

The borrower lived in a multi-story,

CFPB Fall Supervisory Highlights Shed Light on Agency PrioritiesYesterday, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) released its Fall Supervisory Highlights. The report covers examinations completed between January and June of 2021. Over the last year, the Biden-era CFPB has made various statements about its priorities. For instance, the Bureau has issued comments or taken action related to the small dollar lending agenda,