Both parties have recognized the need for significant and immediate relief to assist consumers and small businesses affected by COVID-19. On March 18, 2020, Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA), the chairwoman of the House Financial Services Committee, released plans for responding to the COVID-19 pandemic. At this point, the plans are merely a high-level list of … Continue Reading
In a significant victory for servicemembers and their families, who will again have access to products designed to protect them in the event of a total vehicle loss, the Department of Defense has revised its guidance that previously prevented auto lenders from offering service members Guaranteed Asset Protection (GAP) waivers in connection with a vehicle … Continue Reading
Earlier this month, California Gov. Gavin Newsom revealed plans to create a state version of the federal Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) as part of the state’s proposed 2020-2021 budget. According to the governor’s Budget Summary, “[t]he federal government’s rollback of the CFPB leaves Californians vulnerable to predatory businesses and leaves companies without the clarity … Continue Reading
The circuit courts continue to wrestle over the duties imposed by the Bankruptcy Code’s automatic stay on creditors concerning turnover of a debtor’s impounded vehicle. Is a creditor required to automatically turn over the vehicle as soon as the bankruptcy petition is filed, or can it retain possession while awaiting an order of the bankruptcy … Continue Reading
The landscape remains murky as to whether and how Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) applies to websites. As the financial services industry moves increasingly and inexorably from a “bricks and mortar” presence to a virtual environment, these issues are likely to only become more prominent. With differing authority from courts across … Continue Reading
In light of the potential for future national disasters such as Hurricane Dorian and all the damage that they can cause, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has provided advice on measures to take to secure your financial situation. In recent years we have seen catastrophic damage caused by hurricanes, tornadoes, flooding and landslides, which … Continue Reading
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau made it clear that it will continue to target auto finance lenders as one of its top supervisory and enforcement priorities in the Fair Lending Report of the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection , which was released in June 2019. In addition to adding student loan origination to its watchdog … Continue Reading
The American Bar Association’s (ABA) Civil Rights and Social Justice Section, State and Local Government Law Section, and Commission on Homelessness and Poverty has proposed a resolution affecting automobile dealers that will be considered by the ABA House of Delegates in early August. The resolution is directed squarely at various issues related to vehicle sales and … Continue Reading
Last November, Bradley’s Financial Services Perspectives team predicted that the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s (CFPB) then upcoming Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) for the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) might cause concern for first-party creditors. By way of background, the statutory scope of the FDCPA does not reach first-party creditors, instead applying only to … Continue Reading
Creditors and credit furnishers often find properly reporting a payment status to Credit Reporting Agencies (CRAs) during, and after, bankruptcy a challenge. The recent Report of the American Bankruptcy Institute on Consumer Bankruptcy recognizes those challenges, and looks to convene a forum to provide better guidance and clarity as to proper credit reporting once a … Continue Reading
Chicagoans have found a new avenue through which to regain possession of their vehicle after it has been impounded by the City: file a chapter 13 bankruptcy case. In 2018, 17,603 new chapter 13 bankruptcy cases were filed in the Northern District of Illinois. By comparison, in 2018, the Middle District of Florida, one of … Continue Reading
The American Bankruptcy Institute’s Commission on Consumer Bankruptcy released its Final Report and recommendations on April 12, 2019. The commission was created in 2016 to research and develop recommendations to improve the consumer bankruptcy system. During its review, the commission focused on new trends regarding how Americans are incurring debt. At the conclusion of its … Continue Reading
According to the Pew Research Center’s Social Media Use in 2018, 73 percent of adults in the United States use at least one type of social media, and the typical American uses three. For 18 to 29 year olds, 80 percent use some form of social media. Given its prevalence, social media affords financial services … Continue Reading
Today, the CFPB proposed amendments to its Payday, Vehicle Title, and Certain High-Costs Installment Loans Rule. As anticipated, the bureau is proposing to rescind the rule’s requirements that lenders make certain ability-to-repay underwriting determinations before issuing payday, single-payment vehicle title, and longer-term balloon payment loans on the basis that such restrictions would limit consumer access … Continue Reading
On Tuesday, the small-dollar lending industry received a favorable ruling in Community Financial Services Association of America v. CFPB. A Texas federal court reversed course by staying the August 19, 2019, compliance date for the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection’s (BCFP) rule regarding “Payday, Vehicle Title, and Certain High-Costs Installment Loans.” The court also continued … Continue Reading
In a previous blog post, we examined the “mixed bag” result of the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals opinion in ACA International v. Federal Communications Commission. The ACA International decision narrowed the scope of potential liability for businesses under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) by striking down inconsistent and overly broad portions of the … Continue Reading
On March 16, 2018, the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals issued its long-awaited Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) opinion in ACA International v. Federal Communications Commission, a consolidated appeal of the FCC’s July 10, 2015, TCPA Declaratory Ruling and Order. While the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the FCC’s approach to revocation of consent … Continue Reading
In 2013, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) issued a bulletin on indirect auto lending that took the industry by storm. As we approach the five-year anniversary of the memo’s issuance, it’s valuable to reflect on how the bulletin was received, how the auto finance industry has changed since the bulletin and subsequent CFPB actions, … Continue Reading
Auto lenders, like many private citizens, began 2017 curious as to what change the impending Trump administration would bring. In the landscape of government enforcement, however, the consensus amongst industry participants was that the Trump administration would bring loosened regulation for the consumer finance industry. Many industry insiders mused about the potential sea change that … Continue Reading
By the hair of its chinny chin chin, the Senate voted on Tuesday to nullify the CFPB’s previously announced final rule that would have prohibited banks, credit card companies, and other financial service entities from utilizing arbitration agreements to block or limit class action suits by consumers. The vote took place pursuant to the Congressional Review Act, … Continue Reading
Following the recent Equifax data breach wherein millions of consumers’ private information may have been compromised, it is increasingly clear that consumer-interfacing businesses need to, and in some cases are required to, take steps to protect their consumers’ private information. Although not traditionally considered “financial institutions,” auto dealers that engage in financial activities—those that extend … Continue Reading
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) issued its final rule on payday, vehicle title, and certain high-cost installment loans. The new rule is effective in 2019 and imposes stringent underwriting requirements and payment restrictions on certain covered loans. Be sure to review our previous blog post “CFPB Releases Long Awaited Small Dollar Rule: 5 Things You Need … Continue Reading
Should a full-service consumer finance company be subject to federal debt collection law when it attempts to collect upon debt it purchased? Attorneys general from Maryland, the District of Columbia, California, New York, and more than two dozen other states have urged the Supreme Court to adopt a startling new interpretation of federal law and … Continue Reading
