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Arkansas modifies Fair Mortgage Lending Act
On February 26, the Arkansas Governor signed SB 188, which amends certain provisions of the state’s Fair Mortgage Lending Act (the Act) to comply with recent developments in federal law. Among other things, the amendments, which take effect 90 days after adjournment, include (i) modifying the Act’s definition of an “applicant” and “licensee” to now include transitional loan officers; (ii) specifying that an “exempt person” must comply with outlined compensation limits, mortgage banker affiliation disclosures, and loan term negotiation restrictions; (iii) defining a “transitional loan officer” to mean “an individual who, in exchange for compensation as an employee of, or who otherwise receives compensation or remuneration from, a mortgage broker or mortgage banker, is authorized to act as a loan officer subject to a transitional loan officer license,” with term limits of no more greater than 120 days and is not subject to commissioner reapplication, renewal, or extension requirements; and (iv) outlining transitional loan officer termination conditions and employment restrictions. The amendments also address audited financial statement requirements for mortgage bankers and servicers, and state that transitional loan officers may now be subject to criminal background investigations should the state join a multistate automated licensing system.
California AG seeks to strengthen the California Consumer Privacy Act
On February 25, the California Attorney General announced a legislative proposal that would amend several aspects of the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA). The CCPA was originally enacted in June 2018 (covered by a Buckley Special Alert) and subsequently amended in September 2018 (covered by InfoBytes here). The CCPA, which carries an effective date of January 1, 2020, on most provisions, sets forth various requirements for businesses that collect, transfer, or sell a consumer’s personal information. Under SB 561, which was introduced on February 22, the law would be amended to (i) expand the right of California citizens to bring private legal actions, removing aspects of the law that provided exclusivity to the AG; (ii) remove provisions that would allow companies to request guidance from the California AG on how to comply with the law, instead allowing the AG to publish general guidance; and (iii) would allow enforcement actions to be brought immediately, removing the 30-day cure window.
CSBS seeks public comment on model state payments law
On February 21, the Conference of State Bank Supervisors (CSBS) issued a request for information (RFI) on issues related to state money transmission and payments regulation as state regulators begin coordinating model legislation for all 50 states to adopt in whole or in part. CSBS’ RFI is based upon recommendations made by the Fintech Industry Advisory Panel (a part of CSBS’ Vision 2020 previously covered by InfoBytes here) and seeks feedback on several areas of law and regulation to help states create harmonized definitions and interpretations on a national level. According to the Advisory Panel, “despite the general similarity of state money transmission laws, each state defines and interprets money transmission and its exemptions differently.” The RFI solicits comments framed towards outlined policy standards and risks on the following issues:
(i) The scope of covered money transmission activities and applicable exemptions; (ii) the change in control process, including the personal vetting requirements for individuals deemed new control persons; (iii) prudential regulations—in particular, permissible investment, net worth, and surety bond requirements; (iv) supervision processes; and (v) coordination—in particular, how states can ensure the areas outlined above are implemented consistently without state-by-state policy diversion or needless duplication of effort.
Comments on the RFI are due April 20 and will be made publicly available here.
Arkansas amends Uniform Money Services Act
On February 13, the Arkansas Governor approved SB 187, which amends the state’s Uniform Money Services Act as it relates to money transmission licensees and currency exchanges. Among other things, the amendments (i) revise surety bond and net worth amounts money transmission licensees are required to maintain; (ii) specify application and renewal requirements and deadlines; (iii) permit the use of international financial reporting standards (in addition to generally accepted accounting principles) to compute the value of permissible investments licensees are required to maintain; and (iv) repeal certain savings and transitional provisions. The amendments take effect 90 days after adjournment.
Democratic AGs object to CFPB sandbox
On February 11, a coalition of 22 Democratic state Attorneys General responded to the CFPB’s proposed policy on No-Action Letters (NAL) and a new federal product sandbox, pushing back on the Bureau’s efforts to provide relief to financial institutions looking to implement new consumer financial products or services. (InfoBytes coverage on the proposal available here.) The Attorneys General argued that the Bureau “has no authority to issue such sweeping immunity absent formal rulemaking” and urged the Bureau to rescind the proposals, which the Bureau had stated were exempt from the notice and comment procedures of the Administrative Procedures Act.
In addition to challenging the Bureau’s authority to establish these policies, the Attorneys General asserted specific concerns with the NAL proposal, including (i) the fact that the proposed NAL policy would make NALs binding on the CFPB indefinitely; (ii) the streamlined application process and 60-day decision window, potentially causing the Bureau to render hasty, uninformed decisions; and (iii) the proposed NAL policy’s purported deviations from the policies of other federal agencies, such as the SEC.
As for the new product sandbox, the Attorneys General viewed the proposed policy as “even more troubling” than the NAL proposal, as it provides immunity from “enforcement actions by any Federal or State authorities, as well as from lawsuits brought by private parties.” The Attorneys General rejected the Bureau’s contention that the statutory safe harbors in TILA, ECOA, and the EFTA grant the authority to provide the broad enforcement relief and accused the Bureau of “abandoning its critical role in monitoring the risk that new and emergency technologies post to consumers in the financial marketplace.”
State AGs urge FTC to update identity theft rules
On February 11, a bipartisan group of 29 state Attorneys General, the District of Columbia Attorney General, and an official from the Hawaii Office of Consumer Protection, responded to the FTC’s request for comment on whether the agency should make changes to its identity theft detection rules (the Red Flags Rule and the Card Issuers Rule), which require financial institutions and creditors to take certain actions to detect signs of identity theft affecting their customers. (Covered by InfoBytes here.)
In their response, the Attorneys General urge the FTC not to repeal the Rules, arguing that it “would place consumers at greater risk of identity theft, especially consumers in states that have not enacted” laws that complement the Rules. Instead, the response letter requests the FTC modify the Rules to “ensure their continued relevance” and “keep pace with the ingenuity of identity thieves.” The suggestions include: (i) that notices of changes to email addresses and cell phone numbers be sent to both the prior and updated addresses and phone numbers, an expansion of the current use of mailing addresses; (ii) the encouragement of more current forms of authentication, including multi-factor authentication, to replace examples which imply that knowledge-based authentication by itself is sufficient; and (iii) the addition of new suspicious activity examples related to the use of an account, such as a covered account accessed by unknown devices or IP addresses, an unauthorized user unsuccessfully trying to guess account passwords through multiple attempts, and attempts by foreign IP addresses to access multiple accounts in a close period of time.
D.C. act provides eviction and foreclosure relief to federal employees and contractors impacted by shutdown
On February 6, the mayor of the District of Columbia signed Act 23-5 (B23-0080) to protect federal workers, contractors, and employees of the District of Columbia Courts from eviction and foreclosure during federal government shutdowns. Among other things, the D.C. Superior Court will have the ability to grant motions to stay foreclosure and eviction proceedings for eligible impacted workers or their household members. The temporary stay would run until the earlier of “(i) 30 days after the effective date of an appropriations act or continuing resolution that funds a federal worker’s government agency; or (ii) 90 days after the date of the federal worker’s first unpaid payday” for government employees, with analogous terms for contractors. The act is effective immediately and expires on May 7. Notably, Act 23-9, signed by the Mayor on February 26, extends the expiration date for relief measures to October 9.
NYDFS issues title insurance guidance following Appellate Division ruling on Regulation 208
On January 31, NYDFS issued Supplement No. 2 to Insurance Circular Letter No. 1 (2003), which provides guidance to the title insurance industry following a January 15 unanimous decision by the Appellate Division of the New York State Supreme Court to uphold Insurance Regulation 208. The Appellate Division’s decision vacated the majority of a trial court order annulling Regulation 208, which limits title insurers’ ability to offer inducements to obtain business. (See previous InfoBytes coverage here.)
The NYDFS supplement highlighted three critical holdings from the Appellate Division’s decision. First, the court upheld Regulation 208’s ban on inducements for future title insurance business, recognizing that NYDFS had found that lavish gifts were routinely offered to intermediaries such as lawyers in anticipation of receiving business. Second, the appellate court held that Insurance Law § 6409(d), which prohibits a commission, rebate, fee, or “other consideration or valuable thing,” is not limited to a prohibition on quid pro quo exchanges for specific business. Third, the court annulled Regulation 208’s ban on certain closer fees and fees for ancillary searches.
New Jersey Department of Banking and Insurance adjusts maximum dollar amount of 2019 high-cost home loans
On January 31, as part of the annual review required under the Home Ownership Security Act of 2002 (the Act), the New Jersey Department of Banking and Insurance issued Bulletin 19-02, which addresses the definition of a “high cost home loan.” The bulletin adjusts the maximum principal amount of a loan that may be considered a “high cost home loan” from $487,618.86 to $498,610 and is effective for all completed loan applications subject to the Act received by a lender on or after January 1.
Acting Superintendent assumes responsibilities at NYDFS
Linda Lacewell, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo’s nominee to replace outgoing Superintendent Maria Vullo as superintendent of NYDFS, is now listed on the department’s website as the acting superintendent. Ms. Lacewell—who previously served as chief of staff and counselor to the governor and served as both a state and federal prosecutor—built and implemented the state’s first system for ethics, risk and compliance in agencies and authorities, and has a history in ethics and law enforcement matters. According to published reports, Acting Superintendent Lacewell assumed her role on February 4.