On April 15, 2019, the FTC announced that it had reached a settlement with an online lending company for $3.85 million, resolving allegations that the company had engaged in unfair and deceptive loan servicing practices in violation of Section 5 of the Federal Trade Commission Act (FTC Act), 15 U.S.C. § 45, the Telemarketing Sales…
On March 27, 2019, the Alabama Attorney General (“Alabama AG”), Alabama State Banking Department, and the Director of the Alabama Securities Commission announced that they filed a complaint against a Nevada-based lender and its CEO (“Defendants”) for allegedly making loans at unlawful interest rates to desperate consumers in exchange for their pension benefits in violation…
On March 19, 2019, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) announced that it had entered into a Consent Order with a major mortgage lender over allegations that the lender did not adequately ensure that its relationship loan pricing program was offered to all eligible customers, resulting in adverse…
On March 19, 2019, the California Department of Business Oversight (“DBO”) announced that it filed an action to void the loans and revoke the licenses of a Southern California auto title lender for repeated breaches of the state’s California Financing Law, Fin. Cod. section 22000 et seq. DBO alleges that…
On March 7, the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office (AG) announced that it had filed a complaint against two so-called “Buy Here-Pay Here” auto dealerships, alleging that they targeted vulnerable consumers by selling them high-mileage, used autos at grossly inflated prices; financed the sales through in-house loans with high interest rates that…
On March 6, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced that it had entered into a consent order with a California-based subprime auto lender and its affiliate. The order brings an end to a lawsuit filed by the DOJ in March 2018, previously covered by Enforcement Watch, alleging that the lender’s repossession…
On March 5, 2019, the Arizona Attorney General’s Office (Arizona AG) announced that it had filed a complaint against a California-based online payday lender, its owner, and its wholly owned subsidiary for alleged violations of the Arizona Consumer Fraud Act, A.R.S. § 44-1521 et seq. According to the complaint, the defendants marketed and…
On February 25, 2019, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced that, after a public comment period, it approved a final consent order that had been negotiated in October of 2018 with an online student loan refinancer. The FTC had charged the company with misrepresenting how much student loan borrowers could save if they refinanced their loans through the company’s television, print,…
On February 8, 2019, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced that the U.S. District Court for the Western District of North Carolina granted its motion for a temporary restraining order (TRO) against 10 debt collection companies and six individuals operating out of New York and North Carolina. The FTC alleged that defendants operated a debt collection…
On February 5, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) announced a settlement with a regional retail payday lender, resolving allegations that the lender violated the Consumer Financial Protection Act (CFPA). Specifically, the CFPB alleged that the lender failed to take adequate steps to prevent unauthorized charges; failed to promptly monitor, identify,…