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Flood Insurance Takes Center Stage on Hill this Week
On March 9, the Housing and Insurance Subcommittee held a hearing to examine the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) and, according to a memo released by the Subcommittee, “provide an opportunity to review the current government flood insurance model, the technological changes since 1968 that could improve the NFIP, and how the private sector could develop a private flood insurance market that compliments the current NFIP model.” With the current NFIP program set to expire on September 30, the hearing comes as Congress is in the process of drafting a proposal to reauthorize and overhaul the program.
Roy Wright—a top FEMA official and the only witness slated to testify at the hour-long hearing—answered questions and, according to the written statement submitted prior to his appearance, discussed “a number of opportunities [that] should be explored that could provide for the growth of the private market for flood insurance.” Wright stated, among other things, that “improving the nation’s overall flood resiliency will depend on finding an appropriate balance between reducing risk to the taxpayer through a greater private sector role while sustaining a robust and affordable federal program.”
Following the hearing, the Financial Services Committee issued a press release highlighting key takeaways, including:
- “The National Flood Insurance Program is in need of significant reform. The program runs an estimated annual deficit as high as $1.5 billion and already is $24.6 billion in the red to taxpayers, with no foreseeable way to ever repay them.”
- “Instead of reducing taxpayer risk to deadly floods, the federal government has spent more than $200 billion on flood recoveries since 2000 in addition to the NFIP. Meanwhile, customer dissatisfaction with how the NFIP operates, approves flood maps, and pays claims has remained high and keeps on growing with each new storm.”
- “The private sector can and should play a more meaningful role in flood insurance.”
Flood Insurance Market Parity and Modernization Act. Earlier in the week, on March 8, legislation intended to accelerate development of the private flood instance market was introduced in both Houses of Congress. In the Senate, Sens. Dean Heller (R-NV) and John Tester (D-MT) reintroduced the Flood Insurance Market Parity and Modernization Act (S. 563), which has been referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs. Meanwhile, in the House, Rep. Dennis Ross (R-FL.) and Rep. Kathy Castor (D-FL) announced the introduction of H.R. 1422–the House version of the Flood Insurance Market Parity and Modernization Act.
Flood Insurance Fairness Act. On March 7, Reps. Carlos Curbelo (R-Fla) and Charlie Crist (D-Fla) introduced the Flood Insurance Fairness Act (H.R.1401), a bill intended to “ensure fairness in premium rates for coverage under the National Flood Insurance Program for residences and business properties.” The bill has been referred to the House Committee on Financial Services. As explained by Rep. Crist in a press release, “[b]y extending relief to more Florida properties–including rentals and businesses–we can better protect the financial well-being of middle class families across the state.” A June 2015 version of the bill was previously introduced by Rep. Curbelo during the 114th Congress.
Congressmen Send Letter Urging Fed to Delay Rulemaking Until New Vice Chairman is Confirmed
On February 23, several GOP members of the House Financial Services Committee sent a letter to Fed Chair Janet Yellen in response to Chair Yellen’s recent Congressional testimony that the Fed may advance a pending rulemaking “pertain[ing] to the stress tests and what is called the Stress Capital Buffer.” Among other things, the letter urged that, “[a]bsent an emergency, the Federal Reserve should neither propose nor adopt any new rules until the U.S. Senate confirms a [Fed] Vice Chairman for Supervision.” The GOP lawmakers also cautioned that, should the Fed adopt rules prior to the confirmation of the Vice Chairman for Supervision, they intend to “work with [their] colleagues to ensure that Congress scrutinizes the Federal Reserve’s actions—and, if appropriate, overturns them—pursuant to the Congressional Review Act.”
GOP Lawmakers Reintroduce House Version of the “TAILOR” Act
On February 22, Congressman Scott Tipton (R-CO) and eight GOP cosponsors reintroduced the Taking Account of Institutions with Low Operation Risk (TAILOR) Act (H.R. 1116), a bill intended to “provide smaller community banks and credit unions relief from onerous regulatory compliance burdens” by “requiring federal regulatory agencies to tailor regulations to fit the business model and risk profile of institutions instead of imposing one-size-fits-all mandates across the board.” According to Rep. Tipton, the various provisions contained within the measure are ultimately intended to provide a means of reducing “often unworkable” compliance costs that community and independent banks and credit unions face when forced to adhere to "regulations designed and intended for big banks.”
In a February 17 press release, the American Bankers Association (ABA) “strongly supported” the bill, which it anticipates would effectively “address the huge flow of new regulations that have made it more difficult for banks to meet the needs of consumers and small businesses as well as local and regional economies.”
The TAILOR Act received bipartisan support when it was previously introduced before the 114th Congress. The June 2015 version of the bill—which was substantially similar to the current iteration—received bipartisan support and was twice approved by the House Financial Services Committee. And, as previously covered on InfoBytes, a companion Senate-version of the TAILOR Act (S. 366) was introduced earlier this month by Sen. Mike Rounds (R-SD).
FTC Reports on 2016 Enforcement Activities to Counter Illegal Debt Collection Practices
On February 14, the FTC announced that it has provided the CFPB with a letter summary of the Commission’s efforts during the past year to combat unlawful debt collection practices, provide education and public outreach activities, and conduct research and policy initiatives in the debt collection area. The purpose of the letter, as explained by the Commission, is to “assist the CFPB in its annual report to Congress about its administration of the [Fair Debt Collection Practices Act]”—an act for which the Commission and the CFPB share enforcement responsibilities.
According to the summary, many of the Commission’s law enforcement actions focused on curbing illegal debt collection practices, including phantom debt collection. Specifically, during 2016, the Commission, among other things: (i) filed or resolved 12 cases against 61 defendants, and obtained nearly $70 million in judgments; (ii) permanently banned 44 companies and individuals that engaged in “serious and repeated violations of law” from working in the debt collection industry; and (iii) obtained summary judgment decisions in three litigated matters that resulted in court orders banning the pertinent defendants from the debt collection industry. The summary notes further that, during 2016, two federal appellate courts adopted interpretations of the FDCPA that it considered “favorable” to consumers in cases in which the Commission and CFPB filed joint amicus briefs.
Moreover, with respect to educational initiatives, the summary highlights the Commission’s continued efforts to educate consumers and businesses during the past year about their rights and responsibilities under the FDCPA and the FTC Act. Among other things, the Commission reported: (i) reaching consumers through approximately 16,000 community-based organizations and national groups; (ii) distributing 15.5 million print publications to libraries, police departments, schools, non-profit organizations, banks, credit unions, and other businesses and government agencies; (iii) logging more than “43 million views” on its pertinent website pages; and (iv) reaching consumers through its videos, which were viewed more than 600,000 times. The Commission also noted that it continues to monitor and evaluate the debt collection industry and its practices through public workshops, and by providing input to the CFPB regarding related “rulemaking and guidance initiatives.”
Legislation Introduced in Both Houses Seeking to Curb Authority of the CFPB and Other Financial Regulators
On February 14, Senator Mike Rounds, a member of the Senate Banking Committee, introduced S. 365, which seeks to amend the Consumer Financial Protection Act of 2010 to bar the transfer of funds from the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System to the CFPB. The bill also would require the CFPB to turn over all penalties it obtains to the United States Treasury. Sen. Rounds also reintroduced the “Taking Account of Institutions with Low Operation Risk (TAILOR) Act” (S. 366)–a bill intended to ease regulatory burden on local banks and credit unions. Specifically, the TAILOR Act would require financial regulators to take into consideration the risk profile and business models of individual financial institutions and tailor those regulations accordingly. The TAILOR Act also would require regulators–including the OCC, the Fed, the FDIC, the NCUA and the CFPB–to conduct a review of all regulations issued since the 2010 passage of the Dodd-Frank Act and revise any regulations that do not conform to the TAILOR Act’s requirements. In addition, the regulatory agencies would be required to provide an annual report to Congress outlining the steps they have taken to tailor their regulations.
On February 15, Senator David Perdue (R-Ga.), along with Sens. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), John Boozman (R-Ark.), Ted Cruz (R-Tex.), Steve Daines (R-Mont.), Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.), Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), John Hoeven (R-N.D.), Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.), Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), John Kennedy (R-La.), Mike Lee (R-Utah), Rand Paul (R-Ky.), Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), and Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), have introduced legislation S. 387 to amend the Consumer Financial Protection Act so that the CFPB would be subject to the regular appropriations process.
Senator Ted Cruz and Representative John Ratcliffe also introduced legislation in their respective chambers that would abolish the CFPB. The pair of bills–S. 370 and H.R. 1031–would “eliminate the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau by repealing title X of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, commonly known as the Consumer Financial Protection Act of 2010.” As explained by Senator Cruz in a joint press release, the proposed legislation would give “Congress the opportunity to free consumers and small businesses from the CFPB’s regulatory blockades and financial activism, which stunt economic growth.”
Meeting to Approve the Authorization and Oversight Plan of the Committee on Financial Services
On February 7, the House Financial Services Committee adopted, by a voice vote, its Authorization and Oversight Plan of the Committee on Financial Services for the 115th Congress. Among other things, the Oversight Plan identifies the Committee’s intention to focus on the following areas of oversight during the upcoming Congress: the Dodd-Frank Act, capital markets, housing, insurance, and monetary policy and trade. The document also describes anticipated actions relating to the oversight and authorization of agencies or programs under the Committee’s jurisdiction.
Senators Unveil Bill to Replace CFPB Director with Committee
On January 31, Senators Deb Fischer, R-Nebraska, John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) and Ron Johnson (R-Wisc.), reintroduced legislation that would replace the single director of the CFPB with a five-member bipartisan committee. Specifically, the proposed legislation provides that: (i) each board member would be appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate; (ii) the president would appoint one of the five members of the board to serve as chairperson of the board; (iii) board members would each serve staggered five-year terms, and no more than three members would be from the same political party; and (iv) the legislation would take effect on the date on which not less than three persons have been confirmed by the Senate to serve as members of the board of directors.
Senator Fischer introduced similar legislation in both the 113th Congress and the 114th Congress.
Senators Introduce Joint Resolution to Overturn CFPB's Prepaid Rule; CFPB Releases Prepaid Rule Compliance Guide on Same Day
On February 1, Sen. David Perdue (R-Ga.), and six fellow GOP lawmakers introduced a joint resolution proposing to overturn the CFPB’s final rule on prepaid accounts (Prepaid Rule) before it goes into effect on October 1. The proposed resolution calls for applying the Congressional Review Act to set aside the regulation—which, procedurally, would require only a simple majority vote in the Senate and House and approval by President Trump.
As previously covered by InfoBytes, the Prepaid Rule amends Regulations E and Z to extend disclosure requirements and consumer protections to certain government benefit cards and mobile wallet accounts, payroll cards, Visa- or MasterCard-branded cards sold in retail outlets for general use, and other types of prepaid products. Generally, the Prepaid Rule becomes effective October 1, 2017. The Prepaid Rule does, however, contain certain exceptions and accommodations related to the October 1 effective date.
Earlier that same day, the CFPB issued a small entity compliance guide, which provides a summary of the Prepaid Rule and highlighting information that may be helpful when implementing its various provisions. Among other things, the compliance guide covers: definitions of various prepaid accounts, exclusions in the rule, entities subject to the rule, required disclosures, change-in-terms notices, limited liability and error resolution, periodic statements, receipts at electronic terminals, access devices, compulsory use, account agreements, overdraft credit features, remittances, and record retention. The compliance guide also discusses the exceptions and accommodations related to the effective date noted above, which are also listed in the Prepaid Rule’s Effective Dates Factsheet.
Midnight Rules Relief Act of 2017
On January 4, the U.S. House of Representatives approved the Midnight Rule Relief Act—legislation that would allow Congress to repeal in a single vote any rule finalized in the last 60 legislative days of the Obama administration. The GOP-backed measure, was approved largely along party lines by a vote of 238-184 on the second day of the new Congress. If passed by the Senate and signed into law by the new President, the legislation would amend the Congressional Review Act (CRA) to allow lawmakers to bundle together multiple rules and overturn them “en bloc” with a joint resolution of disapproval. While the CRA only requires a simple majority to pass, current law requires Congress to review regulatory resolutions of disapproval one at a time. The legislation is presently pending before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.
Senate Banking Committee Announces Subcommittee Assignments for 115th Congress
On January 17, the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Chairman Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) and Ranking Member Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), announced subcommittee assignments for the 115th Congress. The Senators named to head each subcommittee are listed below:
- Dean Heller of Nevada will be the new chairman of the Securities, Insurance and Investment subcommittee. Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia will continue to serve as ranking member.
- Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania will remain chairman of the Financial Institutions and Consumer Protection subcommittee. Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts will be the new ranking member.
- Tom Cotton of Arkansas will become chairman of the Economic Policy subcommittee. Sen. Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota will be the new ranking member.
- Ben Sasse of Nebraska will chair the National Security and International Trade and Finance subcommittee. Sen. Joe Donnelly of Indiana will serve as ranking member.
Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina will continue to chair the Housing, Transportation and Community Development subcommittee. Sen. Robert Menendez of New Jersey will remain ranking member.