“Although there may be other constitutional checks on Congress’ authority to create and fund an administrative agency, specifying the source and purpose is all the control the Appropriations Clause requires.” With these words, seven members of the Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s funding mechanism and forestalled the possibility that
Installment Lending
CFPB Invokes “Dormant” Authority and Unveils First Public Supervisory Designation of a High-Risk Nonbank Installment Lender
Nearly two years ago, in April 2022, the CFPB issued a press release announcing its intent to start exercising its authority to examine non-bank financial services institutions that the CFPB has “reasonable cause to determine pose risks to consumers.” The agency also indicated that it would release to the public the results of such supervision.
Creditors Should Review Their Use of Immigration Status When Accepting and Evaluating Applications
On October 12, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) and Department of Justice (DOJ) issued a joint statement emphasizing the risk associated with considering an applicant’s immigration status when making credit decisions. Specifically, the CFPB and DOJ emphasized that creditors should carefully consider how they use immigration status when accepting and evaluating applications and should…
CFPB Issues Additional Guidance on Use of AI in Credit Underwriting
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…
Supreme Court to Decide CFPB’s Validity
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…
Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals Invalidates Small-Dollar Rule, Throws the Future of the CFPB Into Question
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…
New Mexico Governor Signs Bill to Impose 36% Rate Cap and Tough Anti-Evasion Provisions
Beginning next year, New Mexico will join a handful of other states (including, among others, California, Illinois, and Colorado) setting stringent interest rate caps on consumer loans. House Bill 132, which Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham signed on March 1, 2022, will slash the annual percentage rate (APR) applicable to loans made under New Mexico’s…
District Court Ruling Clears Way for Small Dollar Rule Compliance Date in June 2022
Yesterday, in Community Financial Services Association of America, Ltd. v. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, a lawsuit involving implementation of the payment provisions of the Payday, Vehicle Title, and Certain High-Cost Installment Loans Regulation (the “Small Dollar Rule”), the district court ruled on the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s (CFPB) and the Community Financial Services Association’s…
Illinois Caps Consumer Loans at 36% Rate, Limiting Consumers’ Access to Credit
Last week, Illinois enacted the “Predatory Loan Prevention Act” (SB 1792), which would place a 36% rate cap on nearly all non-bank consumer loans. This act will essentially outlaw small-dollar loans in Illinois and may make ancillary products on auto loans, such as GAP insurance, unavailable for a large number of consumers. The act…
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Issues Statement Regarding Small Dollar Lending and Signals Return to Prior Policy
On March 23, 2021, the CFPB issued a brief statement highlighting its position regarding “consumer harms in the small dollar lending market” and likely future action to reverse the previous CFPB administration’s policy regarding the industry. The next day, the CFPB provided its Consumer Response Annual Report for 2020 to Congress, which stated the complaint…