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Financial Services Law Insights and Observations

DOD Report Previews Expansion Of Military Lending Act Regulations

CFPB Servicemembers Military Lending Act

Consumer Finance

Recently, the Department of Defense (DOD) published a report on the Military Lending Act (MLA), as requested in the House report that accompanied the fiscal year 2013 National Defense Authorization Act (FY 2013 NDAA). The MLA generally covers short-term, small dollar loans, including payday, car title, and refund-anticipation loans, but current DOD regulations exclude credit cards, overdraft loans, military installment loans, and all forms of open-end credit. Consumer advocates, state attorneys general, and others have called for the MLA regulations to be expanded to cover other products. The DOD report provides a summary of responses the DOD received in response to a 2013 advance notice of proposed rulemaking related to the potential expansion of the MLA regulations, and reviews state and federal policy developments, as well as changes in the markets for small dollar products. The DOD concludes that the MLA regulations need to be amended, but that simply extending the definition of covered credit products is not sufficient. The DOD is therefore “redrafting” the MLA regulations and plans to take a more “comprehensive approach” that could cover all short-term, small dollar credit products under the MLA regulations and provide exceptions as appropriate. Notably, the FY 2013 NDAA also clarified the CFPB’s enforcement authority under the MLA and granted the CFPB an opportunity to influence the content of the MLA regulations by adding the CFPB to the list of agencies with which the DOD must consult regarding implementation of the MLA’s protections.