Enforcement

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On July 11, the Federal District Court for the Middle District of Florida granted the FTC’s request for a temporary restraining order against operators of a debt relief enterprise that unlawfully charged consumers illegal advance fees. 

In the FTC’s July 9 complaint, the Commission alleges that the company and its owners falsely promised to enroll consumers in programs that guaranteed low monthly loan repayments followed by a lump-sum loan forgiveness. In exchange for enrollment in their program, the operators charged consumers advance fees of several hundred dollars followed by monthly fees of as much as $29. The FTC alleges that while the company stated it would apply consumers’ monthly payments to their loan balances, in reality it kept the consumers’ money and moved it offshore. As part of their scheme, the defendants falsely claimed that they were affiliated with the Department of Education.Continue Reading FTC’s Shuts Down Operators of Debt Relief Enterprise

On July 22, a Texas-based lease-to-own company filed suit against the CFPB in Federal District Court for the Eastern District of Texas alleging that its “illegal and unconstitutional investigation” into the company’s business falls outside the Bureau’s authority. Continue Reading Lease-to-Own Fintech Sues the CFPB, Claiming it’s Unconstitutional 

On a July 19, the Federal Reserve Board announced it has issued a consent order against a Utah-based bank and its parent company for engaging in unfair and deceptive acts and practices in violation of Section 5(a)(1) of the FTC Act, as well as for having a faulty consumer compliance risk management program. In addition to the consent order, the Federal Reserve imposed a $44 million fine.Continue Reading Fed Cracks Down on Utah Bank for Alleged Compliance Failures with $44 Million Fine

On June 28, the FTC announced it had filed an action in federal court against a California-based student debt relief enterprise for deceptive practices, including unlawfully obtaining advance fees for debt relief, and pretending to be affiliated with the Department of Education for engaging new customers. The U.S. District Court for the Central District of California entered a temporary restraining order on June 24 against the defendants.Continue Reading FTC Files Action Against Student Debt Relief Enterprise

An Oklahoma-based bank has been hit with a consent order from the FDIC after posting significant losses in its first year of operation. On June 28, the FDIC announced that it took an enforcement action against the bank mandating it to increase its capital reserves, revise its business strategy, and implement technology-based audit policies.Continue Reading Oklahoma Bank Faces FDIC Consent Order

On June 25, the CFPB issued its annual fair lending report covering its fair lending activity in 2023. The Bureau noted that in 2023 it undertook 28 fair lending examinations and announced four enforcement actions. It separately referred 18 matters to the Department of Justice. Continue Reading Key Takeaways from the CFPB’s 2023 Fair Lending Report

On June 14, the Federal Reserve Board (Fed) released a cease and desist order against an Arkansas-based banking-as-a-service (BaaS) provider for compliance and risk management failures. As part of the order, the bank is prohibited, without prior approval, from (i) establishing any new fintech partners, subsidiaries, business lines, products, programs, services, or program managers, or (ii) offer new products, programs, or services to an existing fintech partner, program manager, or subsidiary.Continue Reading Federal Reserve Board Issues Cease and Desist Order Against Banking-As-A-Service Provider

On June 24, the OCC, Federal Reserve Board, FDIC, NCUA, CFPB, and FHFA approved a final rule to implement the quality control standards mandated by the Dodd-Frank Act to address the use of artificial intelligence in estimating home values. The Bureau noted that over the years, the real estate and mortgage industry have made use of computer models to estimate a property’s value. As these AI-based models grow in complexity and include more variables, they can produce inaccurate or discriminatory results.Continue Reading Federal Regulators Finalize Rule Enacting Safeguards for AI-Driven Home Valuations

On June 17, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau filed an order to resolve its 2023 lawsuit against the former CEO of a short-term small dollar lender and his spouse, in connection with a series of fraudulent transfers they utilized to evade the civil penalties imposed by the CFPB against the company.Continue Reading CFPB Takes Action Against Owners of Small Dollar Lender for Hiding Money to Avoid Penalties

On June 18, the CFPB settled enforcement actions (found here and here) against two mortgage servicers who serviced reverse mortgages on behalf of HUD, for their systemic failure to respond to consumer requests for assistance, resulting in financial harm to many elderly borrowers.Continue Reading CFPB Cracks Down on Mortgage Servicers, Alleging Harmful Practices Against Older Homeowners