On February 11, 2021, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced a $114 million settlement with the owners and operators of an alleged tribal payday lending scheme. The settlement resolves allegations concerning defendants’ purported violations of the unfair or deceptive practice provisions (UDAP) of the Federal Trade Commission Act (FTC Act), 15 U.S.C. § 45(a), the Telemarketing and Consumer Fraud…
On February 4, 2021, the California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation (DFPI) launched an investigation into whether four California-based student-loan debt-relief companies violated the new California Consumer Financial Protection Law (CCFPL) and Student Loan Servicing Act (SLSA). The CCFPL took effect on January 1, 2021 and expanded the DFPI’s regulatory…
On January 19, 2020, the California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation (DFPI) launched an investigation into a dozen debt collectors potentially engaging in unlawful, unfair, deceptive, or abusive acts or practices (UDAAP) under California law. This represents the first major public action taken under the expanded oversight and enforcement authority of the California…
On January 26, 2021, a California federal judge granted the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s (CFPB) motion for default judgment against a now-defunct financial aid services company. The court also granted in part the CFPB’s motion for summary judgment against the company’s founder. The ruling resolves a complaint filed by the CFPB in 2015, previously covered by…
On November 2, 2020, the Consumer Protection Financial Bureau (CFPB) announced that it had entered into a consent order with a Texas-based auto lender. The CFPB alleged that the auto lender engaged in deceptive acts and practices in violation of the Consumer Financial Protection Act (CFPA) by falsely claiming that…
On October 26, 2020, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) announced it had a reached a settlement with a Utah-based mortgage lender and broker, resolving allegations that the lender had engaged in deceptive acts and practices in violation of the Consumer Financial Protection Act, 12 U.S.C. §§ 5531, 5536 (CFPA),…
On October 20, 2020, New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal (“NJ AG”) and the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs announced that they had filed suit in New Jersey state court against a national student loan servicer for alleged unconscionable commercial practices and deception and misrepresentations made to thousands of New…
On October 15, 2020, the Consumer Protection Financial Bureau (CFPB) announced that it has reached a proposed settlement with the nation’s largest debt collector. The CFPB previously reached a consent order with this company in 2015 for alleged violations of the Consumer Financial Protection Act (CFPA), Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA),…
On October 13, 2020, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) announced that it had entered into a consent order with an auto finance company, alleging that the company’s repossession practices from 2013 through 2019 constituted unfair and deceptive acts and practices under the Consumer Financial Protection Act (CFPA). Specifically, the CFPB…
On August 26, 2020 the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) announced that it had entered into a consent order with a California-based mortgage lender, resolving allegations that the company violated the Consumer Financial Protection Act (CFPA) and Truth in Lending Act (TILA) by engaging in deceptive acts and practices with…