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  • Special Alert: Trump Administration Initiates “Regulatory Freeze”

    Federal Issues

    Buckley Sandler Special Alert

    On January 20, Reince Priebus, Chief of Staff to President Trump, issued a memorandum to the heads of executive departments and agencies initiating a regulatory review to be headed by the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (“OMB”). Congressman Mick Mulvaney (R-SC) has been nominated to fill that position.

    On behalf of the President, the memorandum asks the following of the agency and department heads:

    • No new regulations: “[S]end no regulation to the Office of the Federal Register (the ‘OFR’) until a department or agency head appointed or designated by the President after noon on January 20, 2017, reviews and approves the regulation.”
    • Withdraw final but unpublished regulations: “With respect to regulations that have been sent to the OFR but not published in the Federal Register, immediately withdraw them from the OFR for review and approval.”
    • Delay the effective date of published but not yet effective regulations: “With respect to regulations that have been published in the OFR but have not taken effect, as permitted by applicable law, temporarily postpone their effective date for 60 days from the date of this memorandum” and consider notice and comment to further delay the effective date or to address “questions of fact, law, or policy.” Following the delay, regulations that “raise no substantial questions of law or policy” would be allowed to take effect. For those regulations that do raise such questions, the agency or department “should notify the OMB Director and take further appropriate action in consultation with the OMB Director.”

    Rulemakings subject to statutory or judicial deadlines are exempt, and the OMB Director has the authority to grant further exemptions for “emergency situations or other urgent circumstances relating to health, safety, financial, or national security matters, or otherwise.”

    Click here to read full special alert


    If you have questions about the “freeze” or other related issues, visit our Consumer Financial Protection Bureau practice for more information, or contact a BuckleySandler attorney with whom you have worked in the past.

    Federal Issues OMB Bank Regulatory Trump Special Alerts

  • Special Alert: Revised NYDFS Cybersecurity Rule

    Privacy, Cyber Risk & Data Security

    On December 28, 2016, the New York Department of Financial Services (DFS) issued a revised version (Revised Proposed Rule) of its cybersecurity rule for financial institutions issued on September 13, 2016 (Proposed Rule). The revision came after DFS received more than 150 comments in response to the Proposed Rule, as well as a hearing before New York State lawmakers. The Revised Proposed Rule retains the spirit of the original Proposed Rule, but offers covered entities somewhat more flexibility in implementing the requirements.

    Background

    The Proposed Rule marked the next step in a period of increased focus on cybersecurity by the agency. Between May 2014 and April 2015, DFS issued three reports relating to cybersecurity in the financial and insurance industries. In November 2015, DFS issued a letter to federal financial services regulatory agencies, which alerted the federal regulators to DFS’s proposed regulatory framework and invited comment from the regulators.

    In the September release, DFS explained that the Proposed Rule is a response to the “ever-growing threat posed to information and financial systems by nation-states, terrorist organizations, and independent criminal actors.” As originally written, the Proposed Rule covered financial institutions operating under a charter or license issued by DFS, and set cybersecurity program, policy, training, and reporting requirements that are more stringent than the current federal requirements. The Proposed Rule gave a January 1, 2017 effective date, with a 180-day transitional period. Taking into consideration these concerns, on December 19, 2016, the New York State Assembly’s Standing Committee on Banks held a public hearing regarding cybersecurity and the Proposed Rule. Among the chief concerns expressed at the hearing and in the comment letters was the cost of compliance, especially for smaller banks, and that the Proposed Rule’s “one-size-fits-all” requirements do not consider the varying operational structures, business models, and risk profiles of financial institutions. There was also concern that the Proposed Rule was too different from the current federal requirements.

    Click here to read full special alert

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    We will continue to monitor the DFS rulemaking process. If you have questions about the Revised Rule or other cybersecurity issues, visit our Privacy, Cyber Risk & Data Security practice for more information, or contact a Buckley Sandler attorney with whom you have worked in the past.

    Privacy/Cyber Risk & Data Security NYDFS State Issues Special Alerts 23 NYCRR Part 500

  • Special Alert: OCC Takes the Next Step Toward a Fintech National Bank Charter

    Federal Issues

    On December 2, 2016, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (“OCC”) announced its plans to move forward with developing a special purpose national bank charter for financial technology (“fintech”) companies. Accompanying the Comptroller of the Currency, Thomas J. Curry’s announcement, the OCC published a white paper that describes the OCC’s authority to grant national bank charters to fintech companies and outlines minimum supervisory standards for successful fintech bank applicants.[1] These standards would include capital and liquidity standards, risk management requirements, enhanced disclosure requirements, and resolution plans. Over the past several months, the OCC has taken a series of carefully calculated steps to position itself as the preeminent regulator of fintech companies in a hotly-contested race among other federal and state regulators who have similarly expressed interest in formalizing a regulatory framework for fintech companies. This proposal from the OCC reflects the culmination of those efforts.

     

    Click here to read the full special alert

     

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    BuckleySandler welcomes questions regarding this new approach to fintech and banking, and would be happy to assist companies in determining whether a national bank charter would be beneficial for executing on their corporate strategies. Questions regarding the matters discussed in this Alert may be directed to any of our lawyers listed below, or to any other BuckleySandler attorney with whom you have consulted in the past.

     

    Federal Issues Nonbank Supervision OCC Special Alerts Capital Requirements Disclosures Bank Supervision Risk Management Fintech

  • Election Results: Preliminary Thoughts and Reactions

    Federal Issues

    As a result of last Tuesday’s election, Republicans will control the White House and both houses of Congress in 2017. It is likely there ultimately will be some significant changes affecting financial services regulation and enforcement, but they will take time to implement. The President-elect has articulated sympathy for less regulation and opposition to the Dodd-Frank Act but also an unconventional economic populism. The Congressional Republicans have already prepared, and in some cases passed, more specific changes to limit and cabin the CFPB. We anticipate efforts focused on changing the CFPB Director and CFPB structure, reduced regulation that may encourage product innovation (particularly in the FinTech space), and potentially less emphasis on certain Department of Justice (“DOJ”) enforcement initiatives such as fair lending and the Residential Mortgage-Backed Securities (“RMBS”) task force. Nonetheless, we expect continued enforcement and supervisory activity, including by states and by prudential regulators that are less directly tied to shifting political winds.

     

    Click here to read the full special alert

     

     

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    Questions regarding the matters discussed in this alert may be directed to any of our lawyers listed below, or to any other BuckleySandler attorney with whom you have consulted in the past.

     

    Federal Issues Banking Consumer Finance CFPB Dodd-Frank RMBS Special Alerts DOJ Fintech Trump

  • Special Alert: Summary of CFPB's final prepaid rule

    Consumer Finance

    I. Overview of the CFPB's Final Prepaid Rule

    On October 5, 2016, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (Bureau) issued a final rule (Prepaid Rule) amending Regulations E and Z to extend consumer protections to prepaid card accounts. The new protections include pre-acquisition disclosures, error resolution rights, and periodic statements. In addition, prepaid card accounts that include a separate credit feature are subject to some of Regulation Z’s credit card provisions, including an ability-to-repay requirement. Prepaid card issuers are also required to submit to the Bureau and to post to their websites any new and revised prepaid card account agreements. In this alert we summarize key provisions of the Prepaid Rule except those provisions that apply only to payroll and government benefits prepaid cards, which will be covered in a separate alert.

    II. Effective Date

    The Prepaid Rule’s effective date is October 1, 2017, however, the effective date for posting prepaid card account agreements is October 1, 2018. Heeding concerns about burden, the Bureau stated that the Prepaid Rule does not require financial institutions to pull and replace prepaid account access devices or packaging materials that were manufactured, printed, or otherwise produced in the normal course of business prior to October 1, 2017. Instead, financial institutions must provide consumers with notice of certain changes in terms and updated initial disclosures, in certain circumstances.

     

    Click here to read full Special Alert

     

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    Questions regarding the matters discussed in this Alert may be directed to any of our lawyers listed below, or to any other BuckleySandler attorney with whom you have consulted in the past.

    Consumer Finance CFPB Digital Commerce Prepaid Cards Special Alerts Payments Regulation Z Ability To Repay

  • Special Alert: D.C. Circuit Panel Rejects CFPB's RESPA Interpretation and Alters its Structure in PHH Corp. v. CFPB

    Lending

    On October 11, a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit issued an opinion vacating a $109 million penalty imposed on PHH Corporation under the anti-kickback provisions of the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA), concluding that the CFPB misinterpreted the statute and violated due process by reversing the interpretation of the prior regulator and applying its own interpretation retroactively. Furthermore, the panel rejected the CFPB’s contention that no statute of limitations applied to its administrative actions and concluded that RESPA’s three-year statute of limitations applied to any actions brought under RESPA.

    In addition, a majority of the panel held that the CFPB’s status as an independent agency headed by a single Director violates the separation of powers under Article II of the U.S. Constitution. However, rather than shutting down the CFPB and voiding all of its regulations and prior actions, the majority chose to remedy the defect by making the CFPB’s Director subject to removal at will by the President. In effect, this makes the CFPB an executive agency (like the Department of the Treasury) rather than, as envisioned by the Dodd-Frank Act, an independent agency (like the Federal Trade Commission). (One member of the panel, Judge Henderson, dissented from this portion of the opinion on the grounds that it was not necessary to reach the constitutional issue because the panel was already reversing the CFPB’s interpretation of RESPA.)

    The panel remanded the case to the CFPB to determine whether, within the three-year statute of limitations, the payments to PHH’s affiliate exceeded the fair market value of the services provided in violation of RESPA. The CFPB is expected to petition for en banc reconsideration by the full D.C. Circuit or to seek direct review by the United States Supreme Court. Therefore, final resolution of this matter may be delayed by a year or more.

     

    Click here to read the full Special Alert.

     

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    Questions regarding the matters discussed in this Alert may be directed to any of our lawyers listed below, or to any other BuckleySandler attorney with whom you have consulted in the past.

     

    Mortgages CFPB Insurance RESPA Mortgage Insurance Special Alerts PHH v. CFPB Single-Director Structure

  • Special Alert: OCC to Issue Guidance on "De-Risking" in Foreign Correspondent Banking Relationships

    Consumer Finance

    On September 28, 2016 OCC Comptroller Thomas J. Curry announced during a speech at the Association of Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialists (ACAMS) conference that the OCC is developing guidance around “de-risking” in foreign correspondent banking relationships. Following the joint fact sheet published by the federal banking agencies and the Department of Treasury, Comptroller Curry said that it will issue “guidance that reiterates our risk management expectations for banks to establish and follow policies and procedures for regularly conducting risk evaluations of their foreign correspondent portfolios.” The guidance will describe “best practices” that the OCC has observed that banks can use when “re-evaluating their risks and making decisions about retaining or terminating foreign correspondent accounts.”

     

    Click here to view the full Special Alert

     

     

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    Questions regarding the matters discussed in this Alert may be directed to any of our lawyers listed below, or to any other BuckleySandler attorney with whom you have consulted in the past.

     

    Banking OCC Anti-Money Laundering Special Alerts Department of Treasury Correspondent Banking

  • Special Alert: Department of Defense Issues Interpretive Rule Regarding Compliance with the Military Lending Act

    Consumer Finance

    Today, the Department of Defense (“DoD” or “Department”) published in the Federal Register an interpretive rule regarding compliance with its July 2015 amendments to the regulations implementing the Military Lending Act (“MLA”). The July 2015 amendments will extend the MLA’s 36% military annual percentage rate (“MAPR”) cap, ban on mandatory arbitration, and other limitations to a wider range of credit products—including open-end credit—offered or extended to active duty service members and their dependents (“covered borrowers”). Compliance is mandatory beginning on October 3, 2016, except that credit card issuers have until October 3, 2017 to comply. Additional BuckleySandler materials on the MLA amendments are available here, here, and here.

    DoD stated that the interpretive rule “does not substantively change the [July 2015] regulation implementing the MLA, but rather merely states the Department’s preexisting interpretations of an existing regulation” and thus is effective immediately upon publication. The DoD also emphasized that the guidance provided in the rule “represent[s] official interpretations of the Department….”

    Click here to view the full Special Alert.

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    Questions regarding the matters discussed in this Alert may be directed to any of our lawyers listed below, or to any other BuckleySandler attorney with whom you have consulted in the past.

     

    Military Lending Act Manley Williams Valerie Hletko Sasha Leonhardt Special Alerts

  • Special Alert: Maryland Ruling Opens New Front in Battle Over Bank Partnership Model

    Consumer Finance

    On June 23, the Maryland Court of Appeals affirmed a lower court judgment holding that a non-bank entity assisting consumers obtain loans from an out-of-state bank and then repurchasing those loans days later qualifies as a “credit service business” under the Maryland Credit Services Business Act (MCSBA), requiring a state license among other obligations. CashCall v. Md. Com’r of Financial Reg., No. 24-C-12-007787, 2016 WL 3443971 (Md. Ct. App. June 23, 2016). This holding is of particular importance to marketplace lending platforms that rely on bank partnerships to originate consumer loans because, in addition to requiring a license, the MCSBA prohibits licensees from arranging loans for out-of-state banks above Maryland’s usury ceiling.

    In light of the ruling, the MCSBA could provide a roadmap for other states to test the limits of federal law, which specifically authorizes banks to export interest rates permitted by their home state notwithstanding another state’s usury limitations. Perhaps in view of a potential future challenge on federal preemption grounds, the CashCall Court appears to have gone out of its way to state in dictum that the non-bank entity was the “de facto lender” based on its efforts to market, facilitate, and ultimately acquire the loans it arranged. In so doing, the Court provides a strong suggestion that it might have reached the same result relative to the state’s usury laws under the “true lender” theory that has gained some traction in other actions against non-bank entities.

    While the most immediate impact of the Court’s ruling is to uphold the state financial regulator’s cease and desist order and $5.65 million civil penalty, the case also creates additional risk and uncertainty for marketplace lending platforms and other FinTech companies seeking to maintain a regulatory safe harbor through the bank partner model. We analyze here the import of this latest case as part of the appreciable tension building as state law theories appear to be increasingly penetrating chinks in the armor of federal preemption principles.

    Click here to view the full Special Alert.

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    Questions regarding the matters discussed in this Alert may be directed to any of our lawyers listed below, or to any other BuckleySandler attorney with whom you have consulted in the past.

    Marketplace Lending Special Alerts

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