On September 30, 2019, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) announced a settlement with an Oregon-based bank over alleged violations of the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA) and Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA). According to the FDIC, the bank agreed to pay and accept fees for the referral of home mortgage…
As we previously reported, Selia Law LLC (Selia) filed a petition for writ of certiorari with the U.S. Supreme Court on June 28, 2019, appealing the Ninth Circuit’s ruling upholding the constitutionality of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s (CFPB) single directorship. On September 17, 2019, the CFPB filed its responding…
On September 25, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) filed suit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland against a Maryland-based debt collector, its subsidiaries, and its CEO. According to the CFPB, the companies operated the largest debt-collection company in the multi-unit housing industry, collecting debt on…
On September 23, the California Attorney General’s Office (AG) announced that it had filed a complaint against a network of auto dealerships and its chief executive, alleging that they targeted low-income consumers with subprime credit using false advertising promising fictitiously low interest rates; made false statements on credit applications to…
On September 12, 2019, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) that it had settled lawsuits against the operators of two alleged student loan debt relief schemes, and a financing company that assisted them, alleging that they had bilked millions of dollars from consumers. The FTC alleged that the defendants violated the…
On August 8, 2019, the Seventh Circuit, in Lavallee v. Med-1 Solutions, LLC, 932 F.3d 1049 (7th Cir. 2019), ruled that emails to consumers from debt collectors containing hyperlinks to information regarding debt, including validation notices, are not “communications” under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA). Therefore, the court…
On September 6, 2019, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) announced that it had filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California against a Texas-based foreclosure relief services company, as well as the company’s CEO and auditor. The CFPB alleges that the defendants violated…
On September 5, 2019, the New York Department of Financial Services (NYDFS) announced that it was launching a new investigation into the student loan debt relief industry. NYDFS stated that, as part of its “Step Up for Students” initiative, it was issuing subpoenas to eight student loan debt relief companies…
On August 19, 2019, the Colorado Attorney General (AG) announced that it had reached a settlement with two financial services firms, resolving allegations that the firms had violated Colorado consumer protection laws. Between 2017 and 2019, one of the firms – a lender operating in the state – made numerous…
On August 28, 2019, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) announced a settlement with an Illinois-based debt collection company, resolving allegations that the company engaged in deceptive practices in violation of the Consumer Financial Protection Act (CFPA), 12 U.S.C. §§ 5531 and 5536, and the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA), 15 U.S.C….
On August 27, 2019, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced it had reached a $30 million settlement with an Illinois-based operator of for-profit post-secondary schools and related subsidiaries resolving allegations that the company used lead generators who engaged in deceptive conduct to market its schools in violation of Section 5(a) of the Federal Trade…