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Arizona Enacts Laws Providing for Legal Recognition of Certain Electronic Signatures and Other Records
Last month, Arizona Governor Doug Ducey signed into law two pieces of legislation (S.B. 1084 and S.B. 1078), which formally grant legal recognition of electronic records and signatures under state law. Specifically, the new laws—each of which were passed unanimously by both houses of the Arizona legislature—formally acknowledge the legality of certain electronic records and signatures for the purpose of “satisfy[ing] any law that requires a record to be in writing or to be retained or both.” S.B. 1084 further details the requirements that must be satisfied when creating, sending, and accepting electronic signatures or records in order to qualify for legal recognition under the new law. As previously reported in InfoBytes, Arizona also recently enacted H.B. 2417, which recognized blockchain signatures and smart contracts under state law.
CFPB Takes Action Against Law Firm for Alleged FDCPA Violations Concerning Claims of Attorney Involvement in Debt Collection
On April 17, the CFPB announced that it was seeking a permanent injunction and fines against a law firm for allegedly engaging in illegal debt collection practices by making false representations regarding attorney involvement in debt collection calls and in “millions of collection letters sent to consumers.” In a complaint filed in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio, the Bureau claims, among other things, that the firm violated the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act and Dodd-Frank by sending “demand letters” and making collection calls to consumers falsely implying that the consumer’s account files had been reviewed by an attorney. The complaint alleges that a majority of the demand letters were created through an automated process and, in most cases, no attorney had reviewed the account file to determine whether sending such a letter was accurate and appropriate. These letters included payment coupons through which consumers made millions of dollars in debt payments to the law firm. The complaint also alleges that a majority of the collection calls made to consumers were handled by non-attorney collectors who conveyed the impression that the matters had been reviewed by attorneys even though no attorney had in fact reviewed the account files. The complaint seeks a permanent injunction prohibiting the firm from committing future violations as well as other legal and equitable relief including restitution to affected consumers, disgorgement of ill-gotten revenue, and civil money penalties.
Nationwide Mortgage Licensing System Unveils New Money Services Businesses Call Report
On April 1, the Nationwide Mortgage Licensing System (NMLS) Money Services Businesses (MSB) unveiled “the first comprehensive report to consolidate state MSB reporting requirements and provide a database of nationwide MSB transaction activity.” It also allows licensees to report directly in NMLS for all states on a quarterly and annual basis. The release of the MSB Call Report culminates “a multi-year effort by state regulators to develop a tool to standardize and streamline routine reporting requirements for state-licensed Money Services Businesses”—including money transmitters, check cashers, and prepaid card issuers. The MSB Call Report contains three sections: (i) “company financial information”; (ii) “information about the licensee’s company and state level transactional activity”; (iii) “company permissible investments information”; (iv) “and transaction destination country information.” According to the MSB Call Report webpage, 18 state agencies will adopt the MSB Call Report for Q1 2017 reporting.
NMLS is the system of record for non-depository, financial services licensing or registration in participating state, territory and local agencies. Although NMLS does not grant or deny license authority, it does—in participating jurisdictions—serve as the official system for companies and individuals seeking to apply for, amend, renew and surrender licenses. NMLS is also the sole system of licensure for mortgage companies and the system of record for the registration of depositories, subsidiaries of depositories, and Mortgage Loan Originators (MLOs) under the CFPB’s Regulation G (S.A.F.E. Mortgage Licensing Act—Federal Registration of Residential Mortgage Loan Originators).
Additional information and a list of the state agencies that have adopted the report as of March 2017 can be accessed through the NMLS Resource Center.
DOJ’s Trevor McFadden Addresses Anti-Corruption, Export Controls & Sanctions Compliance Summit
On April 18, Acting Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Trevor McFadden spoke at the 10th annual Anti-Corruption, Export Controls & Sanctions Compliance Summit in Washington, D.C. According to Mr. McFadden, the Justice Department “remains committed to enforcing the FCPA and to prosecuting fraud and corruption more generally.” He emphasized the importance of company cooperation, stating that that the department considers voluntary self-disclosures and remedial efforts when making charging decisions. Mr. McFadden also stated that the department is making a “concerted effort to move corporate investigations expeditiously,” adding that FCPA investigations should be “measured in months, not years.”
Mr. McFadden also discussed an increased prioritization of anti-corruption prosecutions around the world and stated that the DOJ will “seek to reach global resolutions that apportion penalties between the relevant jurisdictions so that companies that want to accept responsibility for misconduct are not unfairly penalized by multiple agencies.”
Additionally, the department is assessing its FCPA Pilot Program. Last year, as part of the Program, the department began publishing information on cases it declined to prosecute due to voluntary self-disclosure, full cooperation, and comprehensive remediation. Mr. McFadden stated that the Program is “one example of an effort to provide more transparency and consistency for our corporate resolutions” and “will continue in full force.”
South Korea’s Former President Formally Indicted on Corruption Charges
On April 17, the former South Korean president was formally indicted on 18 charges of corruption including bribery, extortion, abuse of power, and leaking state secrets. The former president was impeached in December after months of public protests. Last month, she was removed from office and arrested.
The corruption scandal has also implicated the former president’s longtime confidante, who is currently on trial on corruption charges. The pair is accused of coercing Korean businesses into donating $68 million to two non-profit foundations that the former president’s confidante controlled. They are both also accused of collecting or demanding $52 million in bribes from businesses, including $38 million from a Korean multinational conglomerate, $6.2 million from a retail conglomerate, and $7.8 million from a telecommunications and semiconductor conglomerate. The chairman of the retail conglomerate, was indicted on bribery charges on Monday.
CFPB’s Latest Fair Lending Report Focuses on Credit Discrimination
On April 14, the CFPB issued its fifth fair lending report to Congress, which outlines the Bureau’s efforts in 2016 as well as its plans for 2017. According to the report, in 2016, the CFPB (i) engaged in significant outreach to both consumers and lenders to better understand fair lending compliance and access to credit issues; (ii) worked with government regulators and agencies to protect and obtain reimbursement for harmed consumers; and (iii) assisted consumers with limited proficiency in English. For 2017, the report indicates that the Bureau intends to (i) evaluate whether lenders have “intentionally discouraged” potential applicants in minority neighborhoods from applying for credit; (ii) investigate whether mortgage or student loan borrowers who fall behind on payments face more difficulty in working out new payment plans because of their race, ethnicity, age, or gender; and (iii) further explore fair access to credit for woman- and minority-owned firms—all areas the Bureau characterizes as presenting “substantial risk of credit discrimination for consumers.”
Additional information on fair lending reports issued by the Bureau can also be found in BuckleySandler’s CFPB Resource Center.
California Joins 49 States and the District of Columbia in Settlement with Global Money Services Business
On April 12, California Attorney General Xavier Becerra announced that California has joined a multistate settlement between state attorneys general from 49 states and the District of Columbia and a global money services business to resolve allegations that scammers used the company’s wire transfer services to defraud consumers (see previous InfoBytes post). Under the terms of the settlement, California consumers who made a wire transfer during the period of January 1, 2004 through January 19, 2017, may be eligible for a share of more than $65 million in refunds. As previously covered in InfoBytes, on January 19 of this year, the global money services business entered into a Deferred Prosecution Agreement with the DOJ and FTC requiring, among other things, the business to pay $586 million in refunds to consumers to settle allegations that the company had failed to maintain an effective anti-money laundering program and aided and abetted wire fraud.
California Department of Business Reaches $1.4 Million Settlement with Michigan-Based Mortgage Lender and Servicer
On April 10, the California Department of Business Oversight (DBO) announced a settlement with a California-licensed mortgage lender and servicer—whose principal place of business is based in Michigan—resolving allegations that the company violated California’s statutory restriction on per diem interest. California law prohibits lenders from “charging interest on mortgage loans prior to the business day that immediately precedes the day the loan proceeds are disbursed.” Pursuant to the consent order, the allegations against the company arose from two regulatory examinations conducted by DBO in 2011 and 2013, whereby the company—in order to avoid an enforcement action—agreed to cooperate fully with DBO’s request for audits, to refund per diem overcharges, and to consent to the issuance of the final order to pay refunds, penalties, and discontinue further violations. The terms of the consent order include $293,127 in refunds previously provided to approximately 3,400 borrowers for loans funded between August 2011 and May 2015, as well as future restitution to additional borrowers identified in required self audits of loans made between from June 2015 through February 2018. The order further requires the company to pay an additional $1.1 million in penalties for identified overcharges, as well as $125 for each additional violation discovered in the self audits.
OCC Updates Comptroller’s Handbook, Issues New Guidance for Evaluating Retail Lending Risk Management
On April 12, the OCC issued Bulletin OCC 2017-15 announcing its new booklet, “Retail Lending,” which discusses retail lending risks and measures for evaluating retail credit risk management activities. The booklet, part of the Comptroller’s Handbook, applies to “examinations of all institutions engaged in retail lending” and supplements the following core assessment sections: “Large Bank Supervision,” “Community Bank Supervision,” and “Federal Branches and Agency Supervision.” According to the Bulletin, Examiners should reference this booklet when review beyond the core assessment is appropriate because the specific products, services, or activities “have a material impact on the risk profile and financial condition” of banks. The new booklet describes (i) “characteristics of an effective retail credit risk management framework”; (ii) “criteria examiners should consider when evaluating retail credit originations, account management, collections, and portfolio management activities and processes”; and (iii) “objectives of control functions commonly used in a retail lending business to measure performance, make decisions about risk, and assess the effectiveness of processes and personnel.”
FTC Approves Final Orders to Settle Allegations That Companies Misrepresented Participation in International Privacy Program
On April 14, the FTC announced final orders against three U.S. companies, resolving allegations that the companies had falsely represented their participation in the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Cross-Border Privacy Rules (APEC CBPR) system in their online privacy policies (see previous InfoBytes post). Following a 30-day public comment period, the Commission voted 2-0 to approve the final orders, which prohibit the companies from “misrepresenting their participation, membership or certification in any privacy or security program sponsored by a government or self-regulatory or standard-setting organization.” Furthermore, the Commission issued a response letter to one of the commenters stating that although the Commission is not authorized to seek civil penalties for an initial violation, upon approval of the final order, one of the companies “will be subject to civil penalties of up to $40,654 per violation per day,” as a compliance incentive and to deter other companies from engaging in similar conduct.