The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) finally moved forward today to ban class action waivers in mandatory arbitration clauses found in certain consumer financial services contracts. In October 2015, the CFPB published its multiyear study on arbitration provisions in consumer financial contracts and an outline of the proposal under consideration. It then convened a Small Business … Continue Reading
On January 15, 2016, the CFPB Office of Enforcement asserted that claims pursued in administrative enforcement actions are not subject to the three-year statute of limitations set forth in the Consumer Financial Protection Act, signaling that the agency is willing to target long-ago violations when seeking restitution and penalties. The CFPA — also known as Title … Continue Reading
As an early “holiday gift,” to help you more easily search for a particular piece of guidance from the CFPB, we’ve put together two CFPB guidance documents. The first is a compilation of all nine issues of the CFPB’s Supervisory Highlights, from 2012 to 2015. The second is a compilation of all the CFPB’s Bulletins, … Continue Reading
On September 1, 2015, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (“CFPB”) won an important decision in which a federal court, for the first time, interpreted the meaning of “recklessly provid[ing] substantial assistance” under the Consumer Financial Protection Act (“CFPA”). Perhaps since it was an order denying the defendants’ motions to dismiss released just before the Labor … Continue Reading
On October 8, 2015, following up on a series of enforcement actions against industry participants engaged in “marketing services agreements” (“MSAs”), the CFPB issued a Compliance Bulletin (No. 2015-15) entitled “RESPA Compliance and Marketing Services Agreements [“MSAs”].” The thrust of the Bulletin is again warning companies that “many MSAs necessarily involve substantial legal and regulatory risk … Continue Reading
In a move long anticipated by the industry, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) on October 7, 2015 proposed to ban class action waivers in consumer financial contracts. Although the proposed ban would not take effect for a few years, it could lead to an increase in consumer class action lawsuits—some of which have been … Continue Reading
On September 24, 2015, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (“CFPB”) and the Department of Justice (“DOJ”) announced a joint action against New Jersey-based Hudson City Savings Bank for discriminatory redlining practices that denied residents of majority-Black-and-Hispanic neighborhoods fair access to mortgage loans. The agencies allege that the bank took steps to avoid, and thereby discourage, applications … Continue Reading
On July 31, 2015 the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau rule that enables the CFPB to supervise the biggest nonbank automobile finance companies will take effect, subjecting the auto finance industry to new and unprecedented regulatory scrutiny. Finance companies across the country are bracing for their first CFPB examinations. Given the recent CFPB settlement with one … Continue Reading
