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CFPB proposes order against co-trustees for concealing assets to avoid fine
On June 17, the CFPB filed a stipulated order and judgment, subject to court approval in the U.S. District Court for the District of Kansas, in an action against two individuals to resolve a lawsuit accusing them of concealing assets. The CFPB averred the defendants engaged in multiple fraudulent transfers over two years to avoid paying a fine owed to the Bureau. As previously covered by InfoBytes, the CFPB filed a complaint last year accusing the individuals of concealing assets to avoid paying $38 million in restitution and $12.5 million in civil penalties owed by the company and an individual defendant related to their payday lending practices. The Bureau will be seeking recovery of the transferred funds by declaring the transactions fraudulent and imposing liens on properties, as well as pursuing monetary judgment against the wife of one of the individual defendants and her trust.
The stipulated order and judgment would release freezes and holds on defendants’ accounts and require defendants to pay about $7.3 million of an imposed $12.3 million judgment, with the remainder suspended due to a demonstrated inability to pay more. The payment will apply toward satisfying one defendant’s existing $43 million judgment, which included consumer redress and civil money penalties. That defendant must also share their filed federal and state income taxes with the Bureau until the fine is paid. If any additional financial information is found or if defendants made any financial misrepresentations, then defendants would be required to pay the fine in full.
GAO Report Evaluates "Permanent Funding Authorities"
On December 9, the GAO released a report detailing the results of its audit of “permanent funding authorities”—a term it defines as “entities with authority to collect and obligate funds without further congressional action.” The report, entitled Permanent Funding Authorities: Some Selected Entities Should Review Financial Management, Oversight, and Transparency Policies: (i) describes the different types of authorities for entities funded by fines and penalties and for regulatory entities; (ii) assesses the policies and procedures related to agencies’ and other entities’ management of their permanent funding authorities; and (iii) makes recommendations to ensure efficient use of resources.
In conducting its audit, the GAO examined five case studies that illustrate the variation in permanent funding authorities: the Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS); the CFPB; the DOJ’s Crime Victims Fund (CVF); the Gulf Coast Restoration Trust Fund (Trust Fund); and the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB), overseen by the SEC. Based on its review, the GAO recommended that in order to “ensure efficient resource use,” APHIS, the CFPB, and the SEC—in its oversight of PCAOB—should review reserve targets. To facilitate oversight, the SEC should establish time frames for PCAOB’s annual report. According to the report, the Department of Agriculture, CFPB, PCAOB, and SEC agreed with GAO’s recommendations.