On January 11, the CFPB issued two advisory opinions providing guidance to consumer reporting agencies (CRAs) on the Bureau’s views on FCRA compliance obligations with respect to background check reports and credit file disclosures. Continue Reading CFPB Continues Focus on Credit Reporting with Guidance on FCRA Compliance

On December 19, President Biden vetoed the joint resolution (S. J. Res. 32) the US Senate and House of Representatives passed under the Congressional Review Act that would have repealed the CFPB’s small business data collection rule (Rule) known as “Small Business Lending Under the Equal Credit Opportunity Act (Regulation B)” (we blogged about the rule and congressional challenge here and here). Continue Reading President Biden Vetoes Congressional Review Act Disapproval of CFPB’s Small Business Lending Data Collection Rule

On November 20, the CFPB, along with 11 state attorneys general and state regulators, entered into a stipulated final judgement and order with a Delaware-based company and two affiliated companies (“defendants”) in the education financing sector to settle allegations in violation of the CFPA, TILA/Regulation Z, and the FDCPA in connection with the defendants’ unlawful practices in originating, servicing, collecting, and enforcing income sharing agreements (“ISA”) (we have discussed ISAs in prior blog posts here and here). Continue Reading CFPB Settles Claims Against Operator of Training Program for Activities Arising out of Income Share Agreements

On November 15, the CFPB issued an order requiring an Illinois-based fintech lender to pay $15 million in fines. The order additionally prohibits the company from operating in certain lines of business and requires revision of its executive compensation policies.Continue Reading CFPB Files Action Against Fintech for Allegedly Violating Previous Order, Deceiving Customers, Withdrawing Funds Without Consent

On October 25, the CFPB released its sixth biennial report to Congress as required under the Credit Card Accountability Responsibility and Disclosure Act (CARD Act). The report found that in 2022 credit card companies charged consumers over $105 billion in interest and more than $25 billion in fees. The report also showed several trends in consumer credit card activity and identified potential areas of concern. Key highlights from the report include:Continue Reading CFPB Report: Credit Card Companies Charged Consumers $130B in Interest and Fees

On November 2, the CFPB issued a new report on state Community Reinvestment Act laws. The report found that many states adopted Community Reinvestment Acts (CRAs) similar to the federal Community Reinvestment Act of 1977. The report showed that state CRAs differ from the federal CRA to account for unique reinvestment priorities of individual states. The report also showed that nonbank mortgage companies’ increasing market share has influenced how states have developed their CRAs.Continue Reading CFPB Publishes New Report on State Community Reinvestment Laws

On October 31, a federal jury in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri found the defendants, a trade association, which represents residential and commercial real estate industries, and multiple residential brokerages liable for $1.8 billion in damages for conspiring to artificially inflate commissions on home sales. Continue Reading Federal Jury: Trade Association and Real Estate Brokerages Conspired to Inflate Commissions, $1.8B in Damages to Plaintiffs

On October 26, the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas issued a nationwide preliminary injunction barring the CFPB from moving forward with implementing or enforcing the recently finalized Small Business Lending Rule, designed to implement Section 1071 of the Dodd-Frank Act. The injunction will likely remain in effect pending either the outcome of a trial on the underlying merits of the case or the Supreme Court’s reversal of Community Financial Services Association of America Ltd. v. CFPB. The Southern District of Texas previously issued a similar injunction in July in the same case, however, the original injunction applied only to the parties to the case (see previous blog post here).Continue Reading Federal Court Issues Nationwide Injunction of CFPB’s Small Business Lending Rule

On October 19, the CFPB proposed a rule that would require depository and nondepository entities to make available to consumers and authorized third parties certain data relating to consumers’ transactions and accounts (see our previous post on this rulemaking here and here). The proposed rule would also establish obligations for third parties accessing a consumer’s data, including privacy protections for that data, and provide basic standards for data access to promote fair, open, and inclusive industry standards.Continue Reading CFPB Issues Proposed Rule to Regulate Personal Financial Data Rights