New federal legislation introduced in the House and Senate would place a 36% annual percentage rate cap on nearly all consumer loans, potentially killing the small dollar consumer lending industry. Last month, Congressmen Jesús G. “Chuy” García (D-IL) and Glen Grothman (R-WI) introduced H.R. 5050, the Veterans and Consumers Fair Credit Act. The bill proposes … Continue Reading
At the September open meeting, the National Credit Union Administration (NCUA) voted 2-1 to approve the final rule related to expanding payday alternative loan options (PAL II). Although the NCUA made clear in the final rule that the PAL II does not replace the PAL I, the flexibility of the PAL II will create new opportunities … Continue Reading
Companies that offer innovative consumer financial products and services have new tools to help them stay in compliance with federal consumer financial laws. In a refreshing twist from prior policy, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) announced last week that it had revamped its No-Action Letter Policy and released a Compliance Assistance Sandbox and a … Continue Reading
On July 9, 2019, the United States District Court for the Northern District of California entered a stipulated final judgment and order in case number 17-cv-06484, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau v. Freedom Debt Relief, LLC, et al. Under the stipulated judgment, Freedom Debt Relief, LLC (Freedom Debt Relief is not related to Freedom Mortgage Company) is … Continue Reading
Following the status report filed last week by the parties involved in the lawsuit challenging the CFPB’s Payday, Vehicle Title, and Certain High-Cost Installment Loans Rule, the Texas district court faced with the case ordered that the stay of litigation and the stay of the compliance date for the rule’s payment provisions are continued. The … Continue Reading
Payment processor/facilitator Allied Wallet, its CEO, and two other corporate officers, recently agreed to settle Federal Trade Commission (FTC) charges that they assisted or knowingly processed fraudulent transactions for merchant-clients. This action indicates that enforcement actions against payment processors are alive and well, despite the FTC’s previously announced end of “Operation Chokepoint,” which, among other … Continue Reading
On Wednesday, June 26, 2019, the California Senate Banking Committee will take up AB 642, which would add certain lead generation activities to the definition of “broker” under the California Financing Law (Cal. Fin. Code § 22004 et seq.). If passed, companies that engage in lead generation (“lead generators”) would be required to obtain a … 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
Last week, in CFPB v. NDG Financial Corp. et al., the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) entered into a proposed settlement with several payday lenders and corporate officials based in Canada and Malta. As background, the corporate defendants consisted of a network of affiliated companies, known as the NDG Enterprise, which extended high-cost, short-term payday … 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
Triton Management Group, Inc. (Triton) and several related companies entered into a consent order with the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection (Bureau) in which Triton agreed to a $1 civil money penalty, $500,000 in consumer redress, and injunctive relief. Triton is a financial services company that originates, purchases, services, and collects on short-term secured and … 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
The Supreme Court of Alabama has reversed a jury verdict awarding the plaintiff $200,000 in damages, ruling on appeal that the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) did not apply to the pawn transaction at issue. The case, Complete Cash Holdings, LLC v. Powell, arose from a forged title-pawn agreement. Ms. Powell’s granddaughter stole title … Continue Reading
As rumors circulate about the potential diminishing role of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) within the new administration, one might wonder if the consumer financial lending space will become a lawless void. However, like a vigilante for justice, the state financial regulators are ready to step up and protect consumers in the financial space … Continue Reading
Last month, a group of 45 members of Alabama’s House of Representatives introduced a proposed amendment to the Alabama Constitution that would cap the interest rate a lender may charge an individual on a “consumer loan, line of credit, or other financial product.” The proposed amendment, currently known as House Bill 321, is a direct … Continue Reading
This week, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) proposed a long-awaited rule on payday, vehicle title, and certain high-cost installment loans – collectively. The proposed rule is open for comment through September 14, 2016. Generally speaking, the proposed rule covers two categories of loans. The first category is short-term loans that have a term of 45 days or … Continue Reading
Last week, Director Cordray testified at a hearing before the House Financial Services Committee during the CFPB’s Semi-Annual Report to Congress. As part of those proceedings, the issue of federal preemption arose in the context of the Bureau’s payday agenda and forth-coming proposal, which is expected to be released in the next 3 months. At … Continue Reading
