Our special guest is Professor Richard Frankel of Drexel University Thomas R. Kline School of Law and the author of a recent article on mass arbitration. In this episode, we first discuss what mass arbitration is, how it relates to class action lawsuits, and the role of public enforcement. We then discuss the industry and consumer positions on the use of mass arbitration and the empirical study conducted by Prof. Frankel for his article. We conclude with a discussion of steps that companies...

Our special guest is Brian Johnson, Managing Director of Patomak Global Partners and former CFPB Deputy Director. In Nov. 2023, the CFPB issued a proposed rule to supervise nonbank companies that qualify as larger participants in a market for “general-use digital consumer payment applications.” We first discuss the CFPB’s authority to supervise nonbank entities considered to be “a larger participant of a market for other consumer financial products or services” and  its previous use of that...

On February 27, 2024, the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral argument in Cantero v. Bank of America, N.A., a case involving the effect of the Dodd-Frank Act on the scope of preemption under the National Bank Act (NBA). The specific question before the Court is whether, post-Dodd-Frank, the NBA preempts a New York statute requiring banks to pay interest on mortgage escrow accounts. The decision, however, could have ramifications well beyond the specific New York law at issue. This episode...

Our special guest is Andrew Nigrinis of Legal Economics LLC and former CFPB enforcement economist. The CFPB’s final credit card late fee rule lowers the safe harbor late fee amount that card issuers other than “smaller card issuers” can charge to $8. We first discuss how the final rule differs from the proposed rule and the existing rule, who are “smaller issuers” not subject to the lower safe harbor amount, and the changes made by the final rule for larger issuers. We then look at issuers’...

Our special guest is Ian Moloney, Senior Vice President and Head of Policy and Regulatory Affairs with the American Fintech Council (AFC). After reviewing how EWA products are used by consumers and the differences between employer- and provider-based products, we discuss the regulatory challenges faced by the EWA industry, the regulatory approaches states have taken to EWA, actions taken by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau related to EWA, and proposed federal legislation dealing with...

Our special guest is David Pommerehn, SVP, General Counsel, Head of Regulatory Affairs at the Consumer Bankers Association. In January 2024, the CFPB proposed two new rules: one restricting overdraft fees and the other prohibiting NSF fees on certain declined transactions. The proposals are among the CFPB’s latest moves in furtherance of the Biden Administration’s “junk fees” agenda. In this episode, which repurposes a recent webinar, we discuss the key provisions of each proposal and...

Our special guest is Malini Mithal, Associate Director of the FTC’s Division of Financial Practices. In this episode, which repurposes a recent webinar, we review highlights of FTC regulatory and enforcement activity in 2023 directed at protecting consumers and small businesses and discuss what to expect from the FTC in 2024 and beyond. After reviewing the FTC’s authority, we discuss important consent orders and enforcement litigation involving: alternate financing mechanisms such as cash...

Our special guest is Jeff Sovern, Professor at the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law. In March 2022, the CFPB announced that it had revised its exam manual to instruct its examiners to apply the “unfairness” standard under the Consumer Financial Protection Act to conduct considered to be discriminatory, whether or not it is covered by federal laws that expressly prohibit discrimination. The changes were subsequently vacated by a federal district court in a lawsuit...

New Federal Communications Commission TCPA rules will mean big changes for businesses, particularly comparison shopping websites, lead generators, and other companies that regularly contact consumers via phone or text message. This episode repurposes a recent webinar. After reviewing TCPA consent requirements for calls and texts and exceptions, we look at the impact of the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2021 Facebook decision on TCPA compliance. We then look at post-Facebook TCPA litigation,...

On January 17, 2024, the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral argument in two cases in which the question presented is whether the Court should overrule its 1984 decision in Chevron, U.S.A., Inc. v. Nat. Res. Def. Council, Inc. That decision produced what became known as the "Chevron judicial deference framework" - the two-step analysis that courts typically invoke when reviewing a federal agency’s interpretation of a statute. This two-part episode repurposes our webinar held in February 2024 and...

On January 17, 2024, the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral argument in two cases in which the question presented is whether the Court should overrule its 1984 decision in Chevron, U.S.A., Inc. v. Nat. Res. Def. Council, Inc. That decision produced what became known as the "Chevron judicial deference framework" - the two-step analysis that courts typically invoke when reviewing a federal agency’s interpretation of a statute. This two-part episode repurposes our webinar held in February 2024 and...

Our special guest is Brad Blower, Principal and Founder of Inclusive-Partners LLC, and author of a recent blog post titled “The CFPB Has An Opportunity to Greatly Advance the Ethical and Non-Discriminatory Use of AI in Financial Services and Should Take It.” We first discuss the lack of clear guidance from the CFPB on the non-discriminatory use of AI and the possible reasons for the CFPB’s apparent reticence to provide more specific guidance. We then identify the specific areas where...

Our special guest is Richard (“Rick”) Hackett, former Assistant CFPB Director responsible for auto finance regulation and presently a member of the Board of F&I Sentinel, which supports lender compliance in the auto finance and insurance industry. In December 2023, the FTC announced its final Combatting Auto Retail Scams Rule, otherwise known as the “CARS Rule,” which sets new requirements on the sale, financing, and leasing of new and used vehicles by motor vehicle dealers. This two-part...

Our special guest is Richard (“Rick”) Hackett, former Assistant CFPB Director responsible for auto finance regulation and presently a member of the Board of F&I Sentinel, which supports lender compliance in the auto finance and insurance industry. In December 2023, the FTC announced its Combatting Auto Retail Scams Rule, otherwise known as the “CARS Rule,” which sets new requirements on the sale, financing, and leasing of new and used vehicles by motor vehicle dealers. This two-part...

In October 2023, the CFPB issued a groundbreaking proposal on personal financial data. This episode, which repurposes a webinar, begins with a review of the background of the rulemaking. We then discuss key provisions of the proposal, including the entities, data, and financial products and services that would be covered, the obligations that would be imposed on covered entities, and exceptions to the proposal’s requirements. We also look at the compliance timeline, practical takeaways, and...

Our special guest is Zarik Khan, Founder of Finsolute Advisors. In October 2023, the Federal Reserve Board issued a proposal to lower the maximum interchange fee that a large debit card issuer can receive for a debit card transaction. We first look at the roles of the various parties involved in a typical transaction in which a consumer uses a debit card to make a purchase from a merchant and the various fees imposed in connection with the transaction. We then discuss how the current debit...

This special podcast episode, hosted by Senior Counsel and former Consumer Financial Services Practice Leader Alan Kaplinsky, sets the stage for the upcoming oral argument in the two U.S. Supreme Court cases where the fate of Chevron deference hangs in the balance. This episode provides an essential roadmap for anyone who will listen to the oral argument or is following this critical challenge to this important doctrine. Our special guest is Kent Barnett, Associate Dean of Academic Affairs...

We discuss various issues faced by lenders and servicers when attempting to foreclose on “zombie” mortgages, meaning second mortgages on which the borrower has not made a payment for a considerable length of time and the lender or servicer has not previously taken action to foreclose. First, we look at the CFPB’s May 2023 advisory guidance on the enforcement of time-barred mortgage loans. We then discuss defenses to foreclosure raised by borrowers, specifically that the loan was charged-off,...

Our special guest is Andrea Boyack, Professor, University of Missouri School of Law. We first discuss the principles that underlie our current system of consumer contracts and the system’s role in promoting transactional efficiency and other objectives. Prof. Boyack then provides her views on why the application of traditional contract law to the modern consumer contract context is not in the best interests of consumers and offers a different approach to consumer contracts in which a...

On October 24, 2023, the OCC, FDIC and Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System jointly adopted final amendments to their regulations implementing the Community Reinvestment Act of 1977 (CRA). In this episode, which repurposes a webinar, we are joined by guest speaker Kenneth H. Thomas, Ph.D., Founder/CEO of Community Development Fund Advisors. After reviewing the background of the adoption of the CRA and implementing rules by the banking agencies, we discuss the key elements of the...

Providers of consumer financial services that rely on federal preemption to charge customers uniform interest rates and fees on a nationwide basis are currently facing a series of legislative and litigation challenges. In this episode, which repurposes a recent webinar, we first discuss the U.S. Supreme Court’s grant of certiorari in Cantero v. Bank of America on the question whether the National Bank Act preempts state laws requiring the payment of interest on mortgage escrow accounts and...

This two-part podcast repurposes our most recent webinar on the latest salvo of actions in the Biden Administration’s initiative directed at combatting so-called “junk fees.” Launched in January 2022, the initiative shows no signs of abating. In Part II, we first look at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s advisory opinion on fees charged by large banks and credit unions to respond to information requests, including the Bureau’s discussion of non-fee obstacles such as chatbots that...

This two-part podcast repurposes our most recent webinar on the latest salvo of actions in the Biden Administration’s initiative directed at combatting so-called “junk fees.” Launched in January 2022, the initiative shows no signs of abating. In Part I, we first review the background of the initiative, the range of fees the Administration has labeled “junk fees,” and discuss the Administration’s focus on competition and its related guidance and directives to federal agencies. We then take a...

In October 2023, the FTC issued a proposed “Rule on Unfair or Deceptive Fees” targeting so-called “junk fees.” Our special guest is Stacy Cammarano, Staff Attorney in the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection, Division of Advertising Practices, and a lead attorney on the proposal. After reviewing how the FTC has previously used its enforcement authority to address “junk fees,” we discuss some of the key issues identified in comments received by the FTC on its October 2022 Advance Notice of...