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House Passes Flood Insurance Bill Reforming and Reauthorizing National Flood Insurance Program
On November 14, the House voted 237-189 to pass legislation reforming and reauthorizing the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) for five years before it expires next month. As previously covered in InfoBytes, President Trump signed a three-month extension to the NFIP at the beginning of September in order to provide Congress additional time to establish a long-term financial solution for the program. The 21st Century Flood Reform Act (H.R. 2874) is designed to better facilitate compliance and clarify guidance for lenders and borrowers, and will, among other things, (i) change annual limits on premium increases for insurance obtained through the NFIP; (ii) require FEMA to consider the differences in flood risk between coastal and inland flood hazards when establishing premium rates; (iii) require FEMA to clearly communicate to policyholders the full flood risk to, and flood claims history of their property, and the effect of filing any additional claims; (iv) allow private insurers to continue selling policies on behalf of the NFIP, while also being allowed to sell their own private flood coverage; (v) revise federal flood mapping requirements, establish premium rates based on applicable flood insurance rate maps, and revise and clarify aspects of the appeals process; (vi) amend the Biggert-Waters Flood Insurance Reform Act of 2012 to clarify the time periods within which communities may consult with FEMA regarding mapping changes and submit data for consideration by the agency; (vii) revise the Flood Mitigation Assistance program to provide assistance for additional multiple loss properties; and (viii) amend the Flood Disaster Protection Act of 1973 to increase penalties against lenders and GSEs for violations of the mandatory purchase requirement from $2,000 to a maximum of $5,000 per violation.
H.R. 2874 now heads to the Senate.
Massachusetts AG Leads AG Coalition Urging Senate to Oppose Joint Resolution to Set Aside CFPB Arbitration Rule
On July 28, Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey, along with 20 other state attorneys general, issued a letter to Senate Majority leader Mitch McConnell and Minority Leader Charles Schumer, urging Senate leaders to oppose S.J.Res. 47—a joint resolution that would set aside the CFPB’s arbitration rule. As previously discussed in InfoBytes, on July 25, the House exercised its authority under the Congressional Review Act to pass a measure to strike down the rule. The coalition of state attorneys general support the CFPB’s proposed rule, which prohibits the use of mandatory pre-dispute arbitration clauses in certain contracts for consumer financial products and services. The letter asserts that most customers lack the time and resources to enter into arbitration and that “[t]he CFPB’s Arbitration Rule would deliver essential relief to consumers, hold financial services companies accountable for their misconduct, and provide ordinary consumers with meaningful access to the civil justice system.”
In 2016, AG Healey led a group of 17 state attorneys general who offered support to the CFPB in favor of the Bureau’s proposed rule and asserted a need for regulations that would prohibit such clauses outright. (See previous InfoBytes coverage here.)
House Passes Cyber Crime Bill
On May 16, the U.S. House of Representatives officially approved the Strengthening State and Local Cyber Crime Fighting Act of 2017 (H.R. 1616) in a vote of 408-3. The Act would amend the Homeland Security Act of 2012 to formalize the Secret Service’s National Computer Forensic Institute’s (NCFI) responsibilities for coordinating investigations into cyberattacks and hacks and would provide training and tools for state and local agencies dealing with electronic crime related threats. In an April press release issued by the bill’s sponsor, Rep. John Ratcliffe (R-Tex.), Chairman of the House Homeland Security Subcommittee on Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Protection, stated, “The [NCFI] has played a major role in equipping state and local law enforcement officers across the country with the tools they need to address the extra layers of complexity presented by the growing incidences of cybercrime,” Notably, the legislation, which now heads to the Senate, follows the recent international cyberattack that infected computer systems globally with the WannaCry ransomware (see previous InfoBytes coverage here).
House Subcommittee Holds Hearing to Discuss the Impact of Regulations on Access to Credit
On March 28, the House Subcommittee on Financial Institutions and Consumer Credit held a hearing that examined recent trends in lending and how the current regulatory climate impacts the availability of credit for consumers and small businesses. According to a memorandum issued prior to the hearing by the House Financial Services Committee, the hearing sought to address the decline in “[l]ending by community financial institutions . . . since the passage of the Dodd-Frank [Act].” Specifically, the memo notes that in the six years prior to the Dodd-Frank Act, small bank lending was more than 150 percent above large bank lending. In the more than six years after Dodd-Frank, small bank lending has been nearly 80 percent below large bank lending. A witness list for the single-panel hearing (along with links to prepared remarks submitted by each witness) included the following stakeholders:
- Scott Heitkamp, President and Chief Executive Officer, ValueBank Texas, on behalf of the Independent Community Bankers of America;
- Holly Wade, Director, Research and Policy Analysis, National Federation of Independent Businesses;
- J. David Motley, President, Colonial Companies, on behalf of the Mortgage Bankers Association; and
- Michael Calhoun, President, Center for Responsible Lending.
In a press release issued by the Financial Services Committee following the hearing, majority members of the subcommittee identified the “Key Takeaways from the Hearing,” as (i) “Dodd-Frank has left Americans with fewer choices, higher costs and less freedom”; (ii) “Financial institutions are exiting entire lines of business, limiting the availability of products and services for consumers”; and (iii) “[t]he Financial CHOICE Act will increase access to credit for consumers and capital for small businesses.”
An archived webcast of the hearing may be accessed here.
Senate Republicans Announce Three New Banking Committee Members
On January 3, 2017, Senate Republican leadership released committee assignments for the 115th Congress, and in the process, announced the addition of three new Republican members of the Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee. Specifically, Sens. David Perdue (R-Ga.), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) and John Kennedy (R-La.) have been assigned to the Committee, replacing Sens. Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), who was reassigned, David Vitter (R-La.), who retired last year, and Mark Kirk (R-Ill.), who lost his re-election bid. Looking ahead, committee chairs will be selected next week following a vote of the members of each respective committee and then ratified by the Senate Republican Conference.
CFPB Releases Annual Report to Congress on Transparency, Accountability in 2016
On January 3, the CFPB announced the release of its annual report to the Senate and House Committees on Appropriations for 2016. The report—which covers October 1, 2015 through September 30, 2016—identifies the specific responsibilities that the Dodd-Frank Act tasked to the CFPB and explains how the Bureau has attempted to meet those responsibilities. Among other things, the report describes Bureau regulations and guidance related to the Dodd-Frank Act including, but not limited to: (i) a proposed rule on arbitration; (ii) a proposed rule related to payday loans, vehicle title loans, and other similar credit products; (iii) a final rule to amend various provisions of the mortgage servicing rules implementing the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act and the Truth in Lending Act; and (iv) a final rule amending Regulation C, implementing the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act. The report also includes descriptions of the Bureau’s supervisory activities and enforcement actions undertaken by in the 2016 fiscal year.
House Terror Financing Task Force Releases Results of Two-Year Investigation
On December 20, the House Financial Services Committee’s Task Force to Investigate Terrorism Financing announced the release of a report detailing the results of its two-year investigation into terror financing. The report, entitled Stopping Terror Finance: Securing the U.S. Financial Sector, is intended to “serve as a useful summary of the key points illuminated by Task Force hearings regarding the terrorist financing threat, the necessary components of an effective strategy to address such financing activity, and current efforts to combat it.
Among other things, the Task Force took a more granular look at some less well-publicized terrorist financing methodologies, including: (i) the use of trade-based money laundering; (ii) the use of individual and corporate charitable foundations; (iii) the plundering of arts and antiquities by terrorists, especially by Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS); and even (iv) drug trafficking.
Moreover, as explained by Task Force Chairman Mike Fitzpatrick (R-Penn), the task force “discovered highly critical vulnerabilities” for which it presented several recommendations and called for further Congressional attention. Among other things, the report highlighted a need for:
- Better interagency coordination and resource allocation;
- Better use of and access to information that can identify illicit finance;
- Adding more overseas Treasury attachés;
- Continued attention to helping developing countries fight illicit finance;
- A greater domestic and international focus on stopping trade-based money laundering;
- Development of a harmonized regulatory and examination procedure for nonbank financial institutions – primarily money service businesses (MSB) but also emerging value transfer technologies – to squeeze out illicit finance and provide banks the comfort necessary for them to again widely offer MSB retail account services;
- Development of a whole-of-government strategy to combat terror finance and other forms of financial crimes; Beneficial ownership of corporate entities; and
- Re-animation of the interagency Terrorist Financing Working Group.
Notably, members of the Task Force have already introduced several bipartisan bills aimed at addressing some of the concerns identified in the report, including:
- H.R. 5594, the “National Strategy for Combating Terrorists, Underground, and Other Illicit Financing Act,” which passed the House on July 11, 2016 by voice vote, and requires the President, acting through the Treasury Secretary, to develop and publish an annual whole-of-government strategy to combat money laundering and terrorist financing.
- H.R. 5602, which passed the House on July 11, 2016 by a vote of 356-47, requiring more detailed information to be reported to the Treasury regarding certain types of transactions in a specific area for a limited amount of time.
- H.R. 5607, the “Enhancing Treasury’s Anti-Terror Tools Act,” which passed the House on July 11, 2016 by a vote of 362-45, enhancing Treasury’s anti-illicit finance tools by addressing issues that came up repeatedly in Task Force Hearings.
- H.R. 5603, the “Kleptocracy Asset Recovery Act,” which is sponsored by Ranking Member Stephen Lynch (D-MA), and seeks to establish a reward program aimed at helping the U.S. identify, freeze, and, if appropriate, repatriate assets linked to foreign government corruption, which is often an enabler of terrorism.
- H.R. 5606, the “Anti-Terrorism Information Sharing Is Truth Act,” which is sponsored by Task Force Vice Chairman Pittenger (R-NC) and which seeks to refine “safe harbors” for the sharing of anti-terror information, reaffirming Congressional intent in existing statute to encourage government sharing of terror methodologies with banks to help them better recognize such activity.
Congress Approves 10-Year Extension of Iran Sanctions Act
On December 1, the U.S. Senate, by a 99-0 margin, passed a 10-year extension of the Iran Sanctions Act (ISA) sending the measure to the White House and delaying any potentially tougher actions until next year. Originally approved in 1996, the extended bill passed onto the Senate in November with only one vote against it from the House. Congressional authority to enforce sanctions against Iran—which was due to expire on December 31 if not renewed—will be presented to President Barack Obama, who will decide whether to sign the bill into law in the coming days.
Legislators Appeal to CFPB Regarding Payday Loan Proposal
In a letter sent to CFPB Director Richard Cordray on December 1, a group of Republican members of Congress expressed concern about the Bureau’s proposal regarding payday, vehicle title, and certain high-cost installment loans. The letter observes that CFPB’s proposal “attempts to further regulate an industry that is already highly regulated by nearly a dozen federal laws including the Truth in Lending Act, the Fair Credit Reporting Act, the Equal Credit Opportunity Act, and the Electronic Fund Transfer Act.” Specifically, the letter contends that the CFPB’s framework will effectively preempt existing statutory and regulatory frameworks and/or eliminate regulated small dollar credit products from the market, thereby leaving consumers without access to credit or forcing them to seek “riskier, illegal” forms of credit.
FCC Denies Petition by MBA to Exempt Certain Mortgage Servicing Calls from Prior Express Consent Requirement
In an order dated November 15, the FCC’s Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau denied a petition by the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) that sought an exemption from the FCC’s prior express consent requirement for non-telemarketing residential mortgage servicing auto-dialer calls to wireless numbers. In its order, the Bureau concluded that MBA had failed to show (1) that the calls in question would be free of charge to consumers; and (2) that the parties seeking relief should be able to send non-time-sensitive calls to consumers without their consent.
Among other things, the Order explained that the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) “reflects Congress’ recognition of the potential costs and privacy risks imposed on wireless consumers from the use of auto-dialer equipment, which can generate large numbers of unwanted calls” and accordingly, the FCC has generally attempted to balance and accommodate the legitimate business interests of callers in addition to recognized consumer privacy interests.