Subject to Inquiry

Subject to Inquiry

THE LATEST ON GOVERNMENT INQUIRIES AND ENFORCEMENT ACTIONS

Government Investigations and White Collar Litigation Group

Tag Archives: CFPB

Financial Institution Regulation

CFPB Signals Potential for Fair Lending Rulemaking

This post recently appeared in our sister publication, Consumer FinSights. In its recently published Fall 2018 Rulemaking Agenda, the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection announced that it is considering future rulemaking activity regarding the requirements of the Equal Credit Opportunity Act (“ECOA”) – specifically, “concerning the disparate impact doctrine in light of recent Supreme Court… Continue Reading
Enforcement and Prosecution Policy and Trends, Financial Institution Regulation

Senate Votes to Strike Down Key CFPB Bulletin on Lending Discrimination in the Indirect Auto Market

On Wednesday, the U.S. Senate voted almost entirely along party lines to invalidate, under the Congressional Review Act, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s (CFPB) (in)famous 2013 Bulletin on lending discrimination in the indirect auto market via discretionary mark-ups and dealer compensation policies.  The 2013 Bulletin, construing the Equal Credit Opportunity Act and its implementing rule,… Continue Reading
Financial Institution Regulation

Full D.C. Circuit Court, Reversing Decision Below, Holds that CFPB’s Independent Structure is Constitutional; also Reinstates Important RESPA Rulings

In a long-awaited constitutional decision regarding the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (“CFPB”), the full D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals today in PHH v. CFPB reversed a prior ruling by a three-judge panel that the CFPB is unconstitutionally structured.  As we previously reported, that prior panel’s prior decision — stayed since its issuance in October 2016… Continue Reading
Compliance, Financial Institution Regulation

CFPB Announces Intent to Reconsider Disclosure Rule

On December 21, 2017, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) issued a public statement regarding implementation of the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act (HMDA), noting that it plans to reconsider aspects of the mortgage data rule. The HMDA, enacted in 1975, requires many lenders to report information concerning applications they receive for particular mortgage loans and… Continue Reading
Financial Institution Regulation

The New CFPB Consumer Protection Principles

This post originally appeared in our sister publication, Password Protected. On October 18, 2017, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) issued a set of Consumer Protection Principles regarding the sharing and aggregation of consumers’ financial data. The timing of the announcement in light of last month’s disclosure of the Equifax breach of approximately 140 million… Continue Reading
Financial Institution Regulation

Treasury Department Recommends Broad Reforms to CFPB

The Department of the Treasury recently cited the CFPB’s “unaccountable structure and unduly broad regulatory powers,” in suggesting reforms to address the CFPB’s “regulatory abuses and excesses.” The Department’s recommendations were made as a part of its report, A Financial System that Creates Economic Opportunities: Bank and Credit Unions, issued in response to President Trump’s… Continue Reading
Compliance, Financial Institution Regulation

CFPB Provides Updated Guidance Related to Loan Forgiveness Program

On Thursday, June 22, 2017, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) provided updated guidance for supervisory examinations of student loan servicers.  Richard Cordray, the Director of the CFPB, gave prepared remarks in Washington D.C.  He explained his concerns related to the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program and how certain practices may be delaying or denying… Continue Reading
Financial Institution Regulation

CFPB Fails to State Case Against Payment Processor

The United States District Court for the District of North Dakota recently dismissed the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s (CFPB) complaint against a payment processor, Intercept, in a case McGuireWoods has been monitoring.  The Court held that the CFPB failed to adequately plead an unfair, deceptive, or abusive act or practice under the Consumer Financial Protection… Continue Reading
Compliance

McGuireWoods Announces Updated Government Investigations Resource Guide

We are pleased to announce that McGuireWoods LLP has published the seventh edition of its Government Investigations Resource Guide. While Subject to Inquiry provides detail on the latest news and regulatory trends, this guide serves as a handy reference tool for in-house attorneys, compliance officials, and executives. The Guide features overviews for key areas of… Continue Reading
Financial Institution Regulation

D.C. Circuit Grants Rehearing in PHH Case

On Thursday, February 16, 2017, the D.C. Circuit granted the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s (CFPB) petition for rehearing en banc in PHH Corporation v. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.  The Order marks the latest twist in a case that tests the constitutional and statutory limits of the CFPB. As we previously reported, in 2014 an Administrative… Continue Reading
Financial Institution Regulation

Pending Senate Bill Would Restructure CFPB Leadership

On January 11, 2017, a trio of Republican Senators introduced a bill that would change the leadership structure of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (“CFPB”) from a single director to a five-member bipartisan “Board of Directors.” Senate Bill 105, titled “Consumer Financial Protection Board Act of 2017,” introduced by Senators Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), Ron Johnson… Continue Reading
Financial Institution Regulation

Trump Signals Beginning of Efforts to Curtail Dodd-Frank

On February 3, President Donald J. Trump signed an executive order that signaled the beginning of the Trump Administration’s efforts to dismantle parts of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (“Dodd-Frank”).  The executive order, entitled Core Principles for Regulating the United States Financial System (“Order”), lays out seven core principles (“Core Principles”)… Continue Reading
Compliance, Financial Institution Regulation

CFPB’s 2017 Fair Lending Priorities

The CFPB recently issued its Fair Lending Priorities for 2017.  According to its December blog post, the CFPB plans to increase its focus on the following three areas, which it describes as “presenting a substantial risk of credit discrimination for consumers.” Redlining: The CFPB “will continue to evaluate whether lenders have intentionally avoided lending in… Continue Reading
Financial Institution Regulation

GOP Takes Aim at Dodd-Frank

On Friday, January 20, 2017, Donald J. Trump will become the President of the United States, and for the first time in nearly a decade, a single party will control the Presidency, the House, and the Senate. After years of deadlock, Republicans are prepared to use this consolidation of power to move their legislative agenda… Continue Reading
Compliance, Enforcement and Prosecution Policy and Trends, Financial Institution Regulation

Companies Challenge CFPB’s Authority to Issue Civil Investigative Demands

As any company that has received a civil investigative demand (CID) from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) knows, the Bureau’s authority to issue CIDs is a powerful tool that leaves recipients with limited options to challenge or limit their compliance obligations.  Recently, the CFPB has fought back against CID challenges, asking two federal district… Continue Reading
Financial Institution Regulation

CFPB Report Highlights Continued Focus on Mortgage Redlining

In its Fall 2016 Supervisory Highlights report, issued October 31, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) identified mortgage redlining as an ongoing “priority area” in the Bureau’s supervisory work.  In the mortgage industry, “redlining” is a form of disparate treatment where a lender provides unequal access to credit, or unequal terms of credit, on the… Continue Reading
Compliance, Financial Institution Regulation

Tuesday’s GOP Wins May Put the Brakes on the CFPB’s Controversial Oversight of Auto Lending

The CFPB’s imposition of its auto lending guidelines, and use of its admittedly flawed proxy-methodology to determine discriminatory lending in auto finance, may come to an end under the GOP controlled White House and Senate. The CFPB’s current guidance, published in a March 2013 Bulletin, has been largely criticized as limiting competition and increasing interest… Continue Reading
Enforcement and Prosecution Policy and Trends

Debt Collection Practices Under Scrutiny of CFPB and NY Attorney General

On November 2, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) and New York Attorney General filed a lawsuit in federal district court in New York over an alleged “massive, illegal debt-collection scheme” that supposedly involved improperly increased debts and threats of arrest or legal action against delinquent borrowers. Douglas MacKinnon and Mark Gray are accused of… Continue Reading
Enforcement and Prosecution Policy and Trends, Financial Institution Regulation

D.C. Circuit Rebukes CFPB in PHH Case

In a major setback for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (“CFPB”), the D.C. Circuit issued a significant ruling today that found the CFPB’s single director structure unconstitutional, ruled against the CFPB on important statutory interpretations – including the Bureau’s position that it was not subject to any statute of limitations in enforcement proceedings – and… Continue Reading
Compliance, Enforcement and Prosecution Policy and Trends, Financial Institution Regulation

I Can’t Get No (Financial Product) Satisfaction: CFPB Complaint Database Exceeds One Million Complaints

On September 27, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) released its Monthly Complaint Report capturing a high-level snapshot of trends in consumer complaints.  In conjunction with releasing its September Report, the CFPB confirmed it has handled over one million consumer complaints.  The CFPB describes consumer complaints as “submissions that express dissatisfaction with, or communicate suspicion… Continue Reading

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