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  • FinCEN Announces Functional Reorganization

    Financial Crimes

    On June 24, FinCEN announced its new organizational structure, effective immediately. The new structure organizes employees based on their job function, whereas previously employees were organized based on the stakeholder that they served. FinCEN believes the change will maximize its ability to efficiently further its anti-money laundering and counterterrorist financing efforts.

    Anti-Money Laundering FinCEN

  • Nevada Alters Foreclosure Mediation Program

    Lending

    Recently, Nevada enacted AB 273, which altered the state’s foreclosure mediation program to require a trustee under a deed of trust to send certain information concerning the foreclosure mediation program to a borrower concurrently with, but separately from, the copy of the notice of default and election to sell that also must be sent to the borrower. The bill also requires that a borrower facing foreclosure be automatically enrolled in the foreclosure mediation program unless the borrower elects to waive mediation or fails to pay his or her share of the program fee. The bill also adds, among other things, certain procedural requirements for mediators and trustees. These changes become effective on October 1, 2013.

    Foreclosure Mortgage Servicing

  • Texas Adds Flexibility to Increase Fees and Charges on Consumer Loans, Cash Advances

    Consumer Finance

    On June 14, Texas enacted SB 1251, which grants the state Finance Commission authority to set maximum amounts for (i) administrative fees charged on consumer loans and (ii) acquisition charges on cash advances. Those maximum amounts have not been updated in the state in more than 10 years and 20 years, respectively. The bill makes certain other changes related to the computation of interest charges on cash advances and the application of an alternate interest charge computation methodology to a borrower’s account. The bill takes effect on September 1, 2013.

    Consumer Lending

  • Virginia Federal District Court Dismisses Shareholder Derivative Action Related to Credit Card Issuer's Settlements with OCC, CFPB

    Consumer Finance

    On June 21, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia dismissed a shareholder derivative action against a national bank’s officers and directors that was based on the bank’s settlements with the CFPB and OCC over allegedly deceptive marketing of ancillary products. In re Capital One Derivative S’holder Litig., No. 1:12-cv-1100 (E.D. Va. June 21, 2013). The shareholders, relying on Delaware law, alleged that the officers and directors breached their fiduciary duty of loyalty, committed corporate waste, and were unjustly enriched by failing to prevent the allegedly deceptive sales practices at the bank’s third-party call centers which led to the consent orders. The court held that the shareholders did not adequately allege corporate waste because the bank’s settlement payments were not “transfers of assets with no corporate purpose” but instead achieved final resolution of the investigations. The unjust enrichment claim failed because the shareholders did not allege any facts indicating a relationship between the officers and directors’ compensation and the settlements with the agencies. With respect to the duty of loyalty claim, the shareholders alleged two theories: (i) that the officers and directors failed to implement controls that would have prevented the alleged misconduct, and (ii) that defendants ignored numerous “red flags” that should have alerted them to the alleged misconduct.  First, the controls theory failed because the shareholders could not satisfy the demanding Caremark standard, which requires an utter failure to implement any controls. Second, most of the alleged red flags were either not actually red flags at all or there were no allegations that the individual officers and directors were aware of them. However, as to a small number of the alleged red flags, the court found the claims sufficiently plausible to allow the shareholders an opportunity to amend their complaint to add additional facts.

    Credit Cards CFPB Class Action OCC Shareholders

  • Texas Supreme Court Holding Requires Lender-Retained Fees To Be Factored into Home Equity Loan Fee Cap

    Lending

    On June 21, the Texas Supreme Court invalidated state regulations that defined “interest” with regard to home equity loans to exclude lender-retained fees and allowed home equity loan closings through an agent. Finance Commission of Texas v. Norwood, No. 10-0121, 2013 WL 3119481 (Tex. Jun. 21, 2013). The state constitution caps home equity loan fees at three percent of principal, but excludes “interest” from the definition of “fees.” The Texas Supreme Court held that a state regulation that defined “interest” for the purpose of home equity lending by referencing a state code definition that excludes lender-retained fees effectively rendered the constitutional fee cap meaningless by giving the state legislature authority to modify the cap. The legislature’s broader definition of interest was designed to prohibit usury, a function inversely related to the constitutional cap for home equity loans, the court explained. The court held that the constitutional definition of interest means the amount determined by multiplying the loan principal by the interest rate, and therefore does not include lender-retained fees. The court also invalidated a regulation that allowed borrowers to mail consent to a lender to have a lien placed on the homestead and to attend the equity loan closing through an agent, reasoning that a constitutional provision designed to prohibit the coercive closing of a home equity loan at the owner’s home requires that execution of consent or a power of attorney must occur at one of the locations specified in the provision – the office of the lender, an attorney, or a title company. Finally, the court upheld a regulation that created a rebuttable presumption that a specific home equity loan consumer disclosure required by the state constitution is received three days after it is mailed.

    Mortgage Origination HELOC

  • Special Alert: CFPB Enforcement Action Targets Marketing of Auto Loans, Add-On Products to Servicemembers

    Federal Issues

    This morning, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) announced enforcement actions against a national bank and its service provider related to alleged deceptive marketing of auto loans and add-on products to active-duty servicemembers. The CFPB claims that the companies failed to disclose or mischaracterized certain fees charged and ancillary products offered through a program developed to finance auto loans to servicemembers. These are the first public enforcement actions by the CFPB related to auto finance, and according to CFPB Director Richard Cordray, were precipitated by a complaint received from an individual servicemember’s relative. The actions demonstrate the CFPB’s focus on auto finance and its increasing coordination with the Department of Defense (DOD) and the individual branches of the military on servicemember protection issues.

    Scope of Alleged Violations

    The CFPB charges that the bank violated Regulation Z (TILA) by failing to accurately disclose the finance charge, annual percentage rate, payment schedule and total of payments for the subject loans, and also violated the Consumer Financial Protection Act’s (CFPA) prohibition on deceptive acts or practices by (i) failing to accurately disclose the finance charge, annual percentage rate, payment schedule, and total of payments for the subject loans; and (ii) deceptively marketing the prices and coverage of add-on service contracts. Specifically, the bank allegedly failed to inform servicemembers that they would be charged a monthly processing fee for automatic payroll allotments; (ii) failed to disclose that the allotments would be deducted from servicemember paychecks twice per month, but only credited once a month; and (iii) failed to regularly review and validate its vendor’s marketing related to the cost and coverage of add-on service contracts. As with the CFPB’s actions last year related to certain add-on products marketed by credit card issuer vendors, the CFPB focused on the marketing of the products and did not directly address their value. This action also applies the CFPB’s guidance on vendor management, which outlines the CFPB’s expectations for oversight and management of third-party vendors involved in the offering of ancillary products.

    The service provider is alleged to have violated the CFPA’s prohibition on unfair, deceptive, or abusive practices by (i) deceptively marketing the prices of an add-on vehicle service contract and an add-on GAP insurance product; and (ii) deceptively marketing the scope of the coverage of a vehicle service contract. The CFPB asserts that the company understated the costs of the vehicle service contract and insurance product and overstated the reach of their coverage.

    Resolution

    The orders require the companies to cease the alleged practices, improve disclosures, and pay combined restitution of approximately $6.5 million - $3.2 million by the bank, $3.3 million by the vendor. Neither order includes a civil money penalty.

    In addition, the bank must (i) develop a comprehensive compliance plan within 60 days; (ii) submit compliance progress reports within 90 days and after one year, as well as within 14 days of receiving a request from the CFPB after the one-year report; and (iii) implement certain recordkeeping requirements. The service provider has 15 days to retain an independent consultant to develop a compliance plan. Within 90 days of when the CFPB approves the consultant, the service provider must submit a compliance management system and written compliance plan. It also is subject to similar reporting and recordkeeping requirements.

    Application of “Responsible Conduct” Guidance

    Earlier this week, as detailed in our prior Special Alert, the CFPB issued guidance setting forth its expectations for companies subject to enforcement activity.  Among other things, the CFPB stated that “responsible conduct” may be rewarded by the exercise of its discretion to resolve an investigation with no public enforcement action or to reduce any sanction or penalty imposed.  According to the CFPB, in the actions announced today, the companies proactively addressed aspects of the loan program at issue and worked cooperatively with the Bureau to provide refunds to servicemembers. While the matters nonetheless resulted in public enforcement actions, the Bureau states expressly that this “responsible conduct” was one of several factors it considered in electing not to impose civil money penalties.

    CFPB’s Focus on Auto Finance & Servicemember Protection

    In addition to marketing of loans and add-on products, the CFPB has continued to focus on the fair lending implications of certain practices of indirect auto lenders. Just last week, the CFPB sought to explain to members of Congress its rationale for pursuing auto fair lending claims, largely reiterating the information set forth in the guidance issued in CFPB Bulletin 2013-02, and the CFPB reportedly has several ongoing auto finance investigations. We expect to see additional auto finance actions from the Bureau addressing the marketing and pricing of auto loans and add-on products.

    Today’s CFPB announcement notes that the DOD and the Judge Advocate General Corps of each of the service branches assisted the CFPB in this matter. Concurrent with the announcement, the CFPB published information for servicemembers related to military allotments, announced that the DOD has established a working group that will consult with the CFPB and other federal regulators to look at the use of military discretionary allotments, and reiterated the Bureau’s general commitment to working with the DOD on protecting servicemembers in the consumer financial marketplace.”

    CFPB Servicemembers Auto Finance Ancillary Products

  • Special Alert: CFPB Proposes Additional Changes to Mortgage Rules

    Lending

    On June 24, 2013, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau ("CFPB") issued another set of proposed amendments to its January 2013 mortgage rules. Whereas the proposed and final amendments issued by the CFPB in April and May focused largely on the Ability-to-Repay/Qualified Mortgage rule, this proposal primarily addresses several important questions that have emerged during the implementation process regarding the Mortgage Servicing and Loan Originator Compensation rules.

    Even with this additional guidance from the CFPB, the volume and complexity of the new requirements and the number of outstanding issues still present a daunting task for many industry participants as they seek to implement the numerous rules by January 2014.

    Comments on the proposed amendments are due July 22, 2013.

    Key Proposed Amendments

    Mortgage Servicing

    Start of Foreclosure Process. The current rule prohibits a servicer from making the first notice or filing required for foreclosure unless the loan is more than 120 days delinquent. The proposed rule would clarify what servicer actions are prohibited during the first 120 days of delinquency. In short, the CFPB is proposing to adopt the literal meaning of "first notice or filing required by applicable law" and prohibit servicers from filing any document that "would be used by the servicer as evidence of compliance with foreclosure practices required pursuant to State law" during the 120-day period. Thus, a breach letter required by Fannie Mae or any other debt collection activity should not be prohibited during the 120-day pre-foreclosure period provided such documents are not to be used as evidence of complying with requirements applicable to state law foreclosure processes.

    This interpretation is expected to have significant implications for state foreclosure processes, particularly those states with pre-foreclosure mediation requirements and right to cure notices. For example, a notice of default in the District of Columbia may not be mailed to borrowers until after the 120-day pre-foreclosure period because the District of Columbia marks the notice of default as the "first notice or filing required by applicable law."  Similarly, servicers in California and other states with pending or effective "Homeowners Bill of Rights" statutes (e.g., Alabama, Florida, Nevada, and Utah) may not fulfill those statutes' requirements to contact or provide borrowers with information regarding servicemember protections or foreclosure alternatives until after the pre-foreclosure period. In addition, it would appear that servicers in Massachusetts would have to wait 120 days before mailing borrowers a 150-day notice of right to cure, which would mean that a servicer may not begin the foreclosure process until 270 days after delinquency begins. By contrast, because Kentucky does not have additional pre-foreclosure statutory requirements, servicers would need only to wait the CFPB's minimum period of 120 days of delinquency to file a foreclosure complaint in Kentucky.

    Incomplete Loss Mitigation Applications. The current rule requires servicers to review a borrower's loss mitigation application within five business days and provide a notice informing the borrower that the application is either: (1) complete; or (2) identifying the specific information needed to complete the application and stating that the borrower should provide that information by the earliest of four specific dates. The current rule also generally prohibits a servicer from offering a loss mitigation option based on an incomplete application.

    The proposed amendments would:

    • Allow servicers who initially describe an application as complete based on the five-day review to request additional information in some circumstances;
    • Allow servicers to select a "reasonable date" by which an incomplete application should be completed; and
    • Allow servicers to offer a borrower the option of a short-term forbearance program (i.e., forbearance of payments for up to two months) even if the application is not complete, subject to certain requirements.

    Notice of Denial. The proposed amendments would clarify that, when notifying a borrower that he or she has been denied for a loss mitigation option, the servicer need only disclose the actual reasons for the denial and not other potential reasons.

    Loan Originator Compensation

    Effective Date. The CFPB proposed to modify the effective date for portions of this rule. Specifically, the proposed rule would: (1) move the effective date for most provisions forward from January 10, 2014 to January 1, 2014; and (2) generally apply the revised restrictions on compensation to transactions consummated and for which the employer paid compensation on or after January 1, 2014.  These revisions are intended to permit employers of loan originators to make changes to their compensation, registration, licensing, and training practices at the start of the calendar year.

    Definition of Loan Originator. The proposed amendments would provide a number of clarifications about who is and is not covered by the rule. In particular, the CFPB would clarify that employees of a creditor or loan originator in certain administrative or clerical roles (such as tellers or greeters) do not become loan originators solely by providing an application form or discussing general credit terms with consumers (e.g., "We offer rates as low as 3% to qualified consumers."). Instead, to be a loan originator, the employee would need to discuss particular credit terms that are or may be available from the creditor to that consumer selected based on the consumer's financial characteristics.

    Other Rules

    Points and Fees for Qualified Mortgages and High-Cost Mortgages. The proposed amendments would clarify the treatment of: (1) charges paid by parties other than the consumer - in particular, the amendments make clear that seller's points and charges paid by the creditor are excluded from the finance charge component of points and fees; and (2) loan originator compensation to retailers of manufactured homes and their employees.

    Rural and Underserved Areas. The proposed amendments would revise the exceptions available to small creditors (creditors with no more than $2 billion in assets that, along with affiliates, originate no more than 500 first-lien mortgages covered under the ability-to-repay rules per year) operating in predominantly "rural" or "underserved" areas while, as announced in May, the CFPB re-examines the underlying definitions of "rural" or "underserved" over the next two years. Specifically, the CFPB would allow all small creditors, regardless of whether they operate predominantly in "rural" or "underserved" areas, to continue originating balloon high-cost mortgages if the loans meet the requirements for balloon qualified mortgages. In addition, the CFPB would allow more small creditors to take advantage of the exemption from the requirement to establish escrow accounts for higher-priced mortgage loans.

    Prohibition on Financing Credit Insurance. For purposes of the prohibition on financing credit insurance premiums in connection with certain consumer credit transactions secured by a dwelling, the proposed amendments would clarify what constitutes financing of premiums by a creditor and, for purposes of the statutory exclusion for certain credit insurance premium calculation and payment arrangements, when credit insurance premiums are considered to be calculated and paid on a monthly basis.

    CFPB Mortgage Origination Mortgage Servicing Loss Mitigation

  • Congress, CFPB Trade Letters on Fair Auto Lending Guidance

    Consumer Finance

    On June 20, 35 Republican Members of the U.S. House of Representatives sent a letter to CFPB Assistant Director of the Office of Fair Lending and Equal Opportunity, Patrice Ficklin, questioning the manner in which recent CFPB guidance regarding lending practices in the auto lending industry was rendered and requesting details concerning the process of analyzing potential fair lending violations. The letter comes on the heels of a similar inquiry made by 13 Democratic Members of the House Financial Services Committee to CFPB Director Richard Cordray on May 28, 2013. The CFPB guidance at issue, contained within CFPB Bulletin 2013-02, advised bank and nonbank indirect auto financial institutions about compliance with federal fair lending requirements in connection with the practice by which auto dealers “mark up” the financial institution’s risk-based buy rate and receive compensation based on the increased interest revenues.

    The Republican letter takes issue with the CFPB “initiating [a] process without a public hearing, without public comment, and without releasing the data, methodology, or analysis it relied upon to support such an important change in policy.”  The letter notes that “allegations of disparate impact do not involve intentional conduct, but instead consist solely of statistical analysis of past transactions” and that any model assessing such impact must be reliable and accurate. Because the guidance fails to disclose the model for assessing fair lending violations, Congress requested the CFPB provide all pertinent details regarding its methodology to evaluate whether the statistical model supports its supervision and examination of financial institutions.

    In addition to taking issue with the CFPB’s statistical analysis, the Republican letter also characterized the ECOA compliance controls suggested in the CFPB bulletin as “onerous and unrealistic,” noting that “restricting consumer choice is highly problematic.”  To support the controls prescribed by the guidance, the Republican letter requested that the CFPB provide “all studies, analysis, and information it relied upon in developing its guidance document.”  Specifically, the two congressional letters requested the analysis conducted by the CFPB on the impact of these prescribed controls on the auto lending industry and any coordination activities undertaken with other agencies in developing the guidance. The House members, like many in the auto industry, are concerned the guidance will have an adverse impact on competition, result in increased overall costs for consumers, and potentially exclude lower-income customers from the credit market entirely.

    Amid these growing concerns regarding the CFPB’s guidance and inquiry into auto finance practices, on June 20, Director Cordray provided a response to the May 28 Democrat letter. Mr. Cordray’s response essentially reiterates both the CFPB’s authority to supervise and investigate financial institutions engaged in auto finance and the CFPB’s concerns that pricing discretion may create a significant risk of discrimination. In responding to the issues of the Democrat letter, Director Cordray indicated that the CFPB uses a proxy methodology to analyze disparate impact in the auto lending industry, though it is short on the specifics behind the methodology used. The CFPB response acknowledged that ECOA fair lending analysis is more complex than mortgage lending analysis given the absence of data similar to that collected in the mortgage context under the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act. Director Cordray also posited that the use of proxies for unavailable data is a widely accepted mathematical and systematic approach in various arenas, including for marketing in the auto industry itself. According to Director Cordray, the CFPB uses both surnames and geographic location as proxies for unavailable characteristics. The proxy analysis is then conducted through publicly available data from the Social Security Administration and Census Bureau.

    Notwithstanding the information provided regarding the CFPB’s methodology for analyzing potential discrimination within the auto finance industry, it appears that both Members of Congress and industry participants remain skeptical of the accuracy of such an approach and continue to call for increased transparency from the CFPB regarding its due diligence in creating this proxy methodology and disclosure of the methodology itself. Opponents also question the manner in which the guidance was released and absence of public hearings or public comment periods. The most recent Republican letter raised these precise issues and requested a response from the CFPB within 30 days.

    CFPB Fair Lending ECOA U.S. House

  • Special Alert: CFPB Issues Guidance on "Responsible Conduct"

    Consumer Finance

    This afternoon, the CFPB issued CFPB Bulletin 2013-6, which identifies four pillars of “responsible conduct” on the part of potential targets of enforcement action by the Bureau.  The CFPB expressly states that such conduct may be rewarded with (i) resolution of an investigation with no public enforcement action; (ii) treatment of subject conduct as a less severe type of violation; (iii) reduction in the number of violations pursued; or (iv) reduction in sanctions or penalties.  The Bulletin, titled “Responsible Business Conduct: Self-Policing, Self-Reporting, Remediation, and Cooperation,” states that such conduct has “concrete and substantial benefits for consumers and significantly contributes to the success of the Bureau’s mission” because it speeds detection and increases investigative and enforcement efficiency, thereby enabling the Bureau to pursue a larger number of investigations.

    The Bulletin has interesting parallels to the SEC Seaboard Report and the DOJ’s Thompson and McNulty Memoranda.  The four factors to be considered by the CFPB—self-policing, self-reporting, remediation, and cooperation—are discussed in further detail below.

    • Self-Policing.  In deciding whether to provide favorable consideration for self-policing, the Bureau will evaluate the nature of the violation (duration, pervasiveness, and significance); how it was detected (effectiveness of internal mechanisms); prior or relative performance of compliance management and audit functions; and the institution’s “culture of compliance.”
    • Self-Reporting.  The Bureau notes that it views self-reporting to be “special” among the four factors, and will evaluate for favorable consideration the completeness, effectiveness, and timeliness of the disclosure, as well as the degree to which the disclosure was purely proactive or a violation otherwise was likely to be discovered.
    • Remediation.  Remediation activity will be credited based on a review of how timely potential misconduct was addressed and how quickly it was remediated; whether responsible individuals were disciplined; whether information and extent of harm were documented and preserved promptly; and the Bureau’s confidence that misconduct is unlikely to recur.
    • Cooperation.  In evaluating cooperation with enforcement efforts, the Bureau will look for “substantial and material steps above and beyond what the law requires,” including cooperation from start to finish and the identification of any additional misconduct; proper steps taken to complete an objective internal investigation and share findings with the Bureau; encouragement of employee cooperation; and facilitation of enforcement actions against other potential targets.

    The Bulletin should be considered carefully by any entity facing enforcement action by the CFPB because, among other things, the way in which these factors will be applied remains an open question.  Despite the encouragement of self-policing, self-reporting, remediation, and cooperation, the Bulletin notes that there is no consistent formula that can be applied to the crediting of responsible conduct, and satisfaction of some or all of the factors will not bar the Bureau from bringing any enforcement action or pursuing any remedy.  The Bulletin also states that there may be misconduct so egregious or harm so great that enforcement actions or penalties cannot be mitigated.

    CFPB Enforcement Agency Rule-Making & Guidance

  • Spotlight on Student Lending (Part 1 of 2): Facing Increased Regulatory Scrutiny, Student Loan Lenders Prepare for CFPB Examinations

    Consumer Finance

    Currently, total outstanding student debt (both federal loans and private loans) has risen to roughly $1.1 trillion dollars. That figure represents an over 50% increase since 2008 and makes student loans the largest source of unsecured consumer debt – surpassing credit cards. At the same time, at least with respect to federal student loans, delinquencies have risen sharply during the same time period and, with unemployment rates for recent graduates still high by historic standards, the risk of continued high delinquency rates remains significant. Complicating matters is that student loan servicers, and servicers of private student loans in particular, have limited ability vis-à-vis a mortgage lender to modify those loans for borrowers in default.

    Not surprisingly, given this backdrop, borrowers have lodged complaints with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB or Bureau) focused on their inability to obtain loan modifications, concerns about improper payment processing, and concerns about servicers’ debt collection practices. All of these factors have prompted the Bureau to draw comparisons to the recent mortgage servicing crisis and to increase focus and attention on the student lending and servicing industry in an effort to stave off a problem of those proportions.

    In addition, the Bureau has focused its attention within student lending and servicing on other, more traditional areas of regulatory concern.  For example, the Bureau in the past year indicated it intends to closely scrutinize student lenders on fair lending issues – especially the use of non-credit bureau attributes such as cohort default rate – as well as unfair, deceptive, or abusive trade practices.

    For non-bank private student lenders, regulation by the CFPB represents a significant increase in the type of regulatory scrutiny to which lenders have traditionally been subject.  Even for large bank student lenders, which have long been subject to examinations by their prudential regulators, CFPB regulatory oversight will present new challenges insofar as the Bureau’s focus is solely on consumer protection and compliance and it has made clear that understanding and regulating private student lending is one of its high priorities.

    Here are several steps that student lenders and servicers can take now to proactively mitigate risk in the current environment, including:

    1. Developing, implementing and, as applicable, updating fair and responsible lending programs (including training of key employees in this area)
    2. Conducting periodic fair lending and UDAAP risk assessments
    3. Conducting gap analyses of collections and servicing practices to ensure compliance and CFPB readiness

    It bears emphasizing that the future likely holds increased regulatory scrutiny, especially from the Bureau and especially in the area of student loan servicing and debt collection. Private student lenders will also see increased scrutiny with respect to fair and responsible lending compliance, including their use of non-credit bureau attributes in underwriting and pricing and their marketing practices, e.g., how borrowers are solicited and whether a lender uses different marketing efforts based on loan products, such as those specific to a particular major, school, or geography.

    In December 2012, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau released their student loan examination procedures, and since doing so, has commenced several examinations of bank and non-bank private student lenders. Lenders will have to show compliance with a variety of federal laws applicable at various stages (called modules) of the lending process and will be examined for potentially unfair, deceptive or abusive acts and practices.

    The procedures indicate that exams will be composed of several modules:

    1. Advertising, marketing and lead generation
    2. Application, qualification, loan origination, and disbursement
    3. Repayment and account maintenance
    4. Customer complaints
    5. Collections and credit reporting
    6. Information sharing and privacy

    The CFPB’s examination personnel will review the lender’s organizational documents and process flowcharts, board minutes, annual reports, management reports, policies and procedures, rate and fee sheets, loan applications, account documentation, notes and disclosures, file contents, operating checklists and worksheets, computer system details, due diligence and monitoring procedures, lending procedures, underwriting guidelines, compensation policies, audit reports and responses, training materials, service provider contracts, advertisements, and complaints. Examiners may also interview the lender’s personnel and observe customer interactions.

    Examiners will review potential legal and regulatory violations in modules roughly corresponding to the processes by which education loans are developed, marketed, originated and serviced, and the processes for handling consumer complaints, delinquencies and defaults, credit reporting and privacy protection. The examination process is intended to help the CFPB determine whether consumer financial protection laws have been violated and, if so, whether supervisory or enforcement actions are warranted.

    BuckleySandler advises student lenders to prepare for a CFPB exam by carefully reviewing the Bureau’s examination procedures, reports, and other public statements concerning student lending and servicing. We also recommend conducting a gap analyses between those materials and existing policies and procedures, and as appropriate, filling any identified gaps.

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

    CFPB UDAAP Student Lending Andrew Louis Jeffrey Naimon Aaron Mahler Sasha Leonhardt

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