On September 30, 2021, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced that it reached a settlement with an auto lender, resolving allegations that the lender violated the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA). Following an investigation which began in 2019, the DOJ filed a complaint that same day in the United States District Court for the Northern…
On September 30, 2021, the Minnesota Attorney General (“Minnesota AG”) announced that a federal bankruptcy court had approved $23.6 million in student debt relief and $15.8 million in restitution for students of two for-profit universities that allegedly engaged in consumer fraud and illegal lending practices. The settlement, originally announced in March 2021, resolved allegations that the universities misled students…
On September 14, 2021, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit held that One Technologies, L.P. (One Tech) did not waive its right to compel arbitration of plaintiff’s federal claim under the Credit Repair Organizations Act (CROA), even though One Tech had previously waived its right to…
On September 29, 2021, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced that it reached a settlement with a California-based auto lender, resolving allegations that the lender violated the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA). In a simultaneously-filed complaint filed in the United States District Court for the Central District of California, the DOJ…
On September 27, 2021, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced a settlement with an Atlanta-based debt collection company and its owners that would ban them from the debt collection industry. The FTC had originally filed suit in 2020, after which the court issued an ex parte temporary restraining order prohibiting the company from doing business. The complaint, filed in September 2020, alleged violations of Section 5(a)…
On September 23, 2021, the West Virginia Attorney General’s Office (AG) announced that it had filed a complaint against a New York-based debt collection agency for violations of the West Virginia Consumer Credit and Protection Act (WVCCPA) . The complaint alleges that the debt collection agency violated West Virginia law by operating without proper authorization and by using illegal, high-pressure…
On September 22, 2021, the California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation (DFPI) announced that it issued its first enforcement action against a debt collection company for various practices, including threatening to sue consumers and garnish wages, and for submitting negative information to credit bureaus without first providing required notice, in violation…
In August 2021, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), and the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (the Federal Reserve and, collectively with the OCC and the FDIC, the Agencies) released a joint bulletin titled “Conducting Due Diligence on…
On September 20, 2021, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) announced that it had filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court of the Central District of California against a California-based software company and its owner. The complaint alleges that the software company violated the Telemarking Sales Rule (TSR) and Consumer Financial…
On September 20, 2021, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced that it reached a settlement with the New Jersey Higher Education Student Assistance Authority (HESAA), resolving allegations that the state agency unlawfully obtained default judgments against two military servicemembers for student loan debt in violation of the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA). In a…
Goodwin invites you to join us for our upcoming webinar on the NYDFS Cybersecurity Regulation. Now in its fifth year, the NYDFS Cybersecurity Regulation is a standout among state-level information security regulations. This year, the NYDFS is investing additional resources into cybersecurity, with a new NYDFS Cyber Intelligence Unit formed…
On September 8, 2021 the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) announced that it filed a complaint against an online lender for alleged violations of a 2016 consent order, the Consumer Financial Protection Act (CFPA), 12 U.S.C. §§ 5564, the Equal Credit Opportunity Act (ECOA), 15 U.S.C. §§ 1691–1691f, and Regulation B (Reg…
On September 9, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) announced that it issued a $250 million civil money penalty against a national bank for alleged deficiencies in the bank’s home lending loss mitigation program, and for purportedly failing to meet its obligations under a 2018 consent order…
On September 8, 2021, the Washington Attorney General’s Office (AG) announced that it had reached a settlement agreement with a debt collection company, resolving allegations that the company had violated the Washington Consumer Protection Act (CPA), RCW 19.86, and the Washington Collection Agency Act (CAA), RCW 19.16. The settlement concludes a lawsuit originally filed June…
On September 7, 2021, the Massachusetts Attorney General (AG) announced that it reached a settlement with a debt collection company, resolving allegations that the company engaged in unfair and deceptive debt collection practices in violation of state law. In particular, the company is alleged to have (1) initiated more than two…
Debt collectors operating in California may now submit applications for licensure by the Department of Financial Protection and Innovation (DFPI) in compliance with the state’s newly enacted Debt Collection Licensing Act (DCLA). On September 1, 2021, the DFPI announced that it opened its license application for all debt collectors in…
On September 7, 2021, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) announced that it had entered into a consent order with a group of affiliated education financing companies that provided students with income share agreements (ISAs) to finance postsecondary education. The consent order resolves allegations that the companies violated the Consumer Financial Protection Act (CFPA), Regulation Z…
On August 24, 2021, the Virginia Attorney General (“Virginia AG”) announced that it entered into settlement with a Virginia-based lender and its managing member over allegations that the lender violated §§ 6.2-303 and 6.2-1501(A) of Virginia’s consumer finance statute. The settlement was filed as a consent judgment in the Circuit Court for the…
On September 1, 2021, the Massachusetts Attorney General (“Massachusetts AG”) announced that an auto lending company had agreed to pay more than $27 million to resolve claims that it engaged in unfair and deceptive auto loan practices. The Massachusetts AG alleged that the company made high interest auto loans to borrowers, despite the…