CFPB reviewing 2,100 comments on small business data collection

Federal Issues CFPB Section 1071 Small Business Lending Dodd-Frank Courts SBREFA Agency Rule-Making & Guidance

On February 22, the CFPB filed its eighth status report in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, as required under a stipulated settlement reached in February 2020 with a group of plaintiffs, including the California Reinvestment Coalition, related to the collection of small business lending data. The settlement (covered by InfoBytes here) resolved a 2019 lawsuit that sought an order compelling the Bureau to issue a final rule implementing Section 1071 of the Dodd-Frank Act, which requires the Bureau to collect and disclose data on lending to women and minority-owned small businesses. The current status report states that the Bureau has met the deadlines under the stipulated settlement, which included issuing its long-awaited proposed rule (NPRM) last September. As covered by a Buckley Special Alert, the NPRM would require a broad swath of lenders to collect small business loan data, including information about the loans themselves, borrower characteristics, and demographic information regarding the borrower’s principal owners. This information would be reported annually to the Bureau and published by the Bureau on its website. The Bureau notes in its status report that the NPRM’s comment period ended on January 6. The Bureau is currently reviewing approximately 2,100 comments submitted via the public docket and will confer with plaintiffs regarding an appropriate deadline for issuing a final rule.

Find continuing Section 1071 coverage here.