Consumer Finance
One of the most significant consumer finance firms in the US market.Chambers USA
Practice Overview
Consumer financial services is one of the nation’s most heavily regulated industries. Companies creating new products, considering significant transactions, undergoing regulatory examinations, or facing enforcement actions or litigation need an experienced legal team to ensure their long-term success.
Buckley has a seasoned, industry-leading team of more than 100 lawyers focusing on consumer finance that counsels clients on the ever-growing array of federal and state statutes and regulations governing their products and services. Our lawyers are intimately familiar with these statutes and regulations and with the business dynamics of each product segment of consumer finance. The depth of our work gives us an unparalleled view of the marketplace as companies seek to tackle challenges and address emerging risks.
Buckley advises clients — from global financial institutions to start-ups — across products, markets, and industries. Our clients include depository institutions; mortgage companies; auto, student, and specialty lenders; secondary market loan purchasers; credit, debit, and payment card companies; the full spectrum of online financial services products, including marketplace lenders and other fintech companies; money transmitters and payment processors; debt collectors and debt buyers; and retail installment sellers. In addition, we represent private equity firms that own these companies or are considering acquiring them.
We regularly counsel clients in matters involving the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, Federal Trade Commission, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Department of Justice, state attorneys general, and other federal and state regulators.
Our work has included:
- Creating Winnow, a comprehensive, interactive, and searchable database of more than 44,000 state law requirements through which financial services companies can generate legal inventories tailored by business type, license, and product (mortgage, auto, credit card, consumer, and commercial loans, among others); it also includes laws related to servicing of these products, and topics like marketing and advertising, debt collection, telemarketing, notary requirements, electronic signatures and documents, powers of attorney, and privacy and data security
- Advising fintech companies on approaching IPOs, performing due diligence of business models, licensure, and regulatory compliance, drafting opinions for underwriters and investors, and drafting risk factors for securities filings
- Representing a consumer lender in connection with an FTC investigation into data security and lending practices
- Providing counsel and assistance on an array of matters (including those relating to origination and servicing) to an established UK-based financial services company launching a web-based platform in the United States, which offers low-interest, unsecured loans to consumers that are repaid primarily through payroll deduction
- Advising a bank regarding its credit card, open and closed-end consumer loan program (including closed-end personal loans as well as overdraft, personal, and home equity lines of credit) and provided revisions to its account-opening, advertising, and other disclosures for such products
- Assisting fintech companies with their bank partnerships, including providing regulatory counsel on compliance matters, ensuring acquisition of proper licenses, and negotiating bank partnership agreements
- Representing a manufactured and mobile-home lender in investigations by the CFPB and DOJ into its lending and servicing practices
- Advising a marketplace lender on compliance with the Fair Credit Reporting Act and the Equal Credit Opportunity Act
- Conducting a compliance gap analysis for a consumer finance company with a multistate footprint to evaluate regulatory risk under federal consumer protection laws, along with ongoing regulatory counseling and transactional advice for the company
- Conducting a state law survey for a telecom client regarding finance charge limitations, payment requirements, and default rights
One of the most significant consumer finance firms in the US market.Chambers USA
Articles
"The pendulum always swings twice: Disparate impact under the Obama, Trump, and Biden administrations" by Jeffrey P. Naimon and Sasha Leonhardt (American Bar Association Consumer Financial Services Committee Newsletter)
For over forty years, courts took the lead on interpreting the Fair Housing Act’s (“FHA’s”) prohibition on discriminatory housing practices, including home mortgage lending. While different administrations have varied as to whether the Supreme Court’s disparate impact theory from the Griggs v. Duke...
Articles"CFPB order offers insight into pandemic mortgage servicing" by Jeffrey P. Naimon and H Joshua Kotin (Law360)
The U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau in December issued a consent order based on alleged violations of its 2014 mortgage servicing regulations. The consent order, which also bootstraps claims of unfairness and deception to alleged technical violations of the servicing regulations —...
Articles"CFPB credit stance has broad specialty finance implications" by Jeffrey P. Naimon and H Joshua Kotin (Law360)
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau issued an advisory opinion at the end of November that could compel specialty-finance companies — including those offering income-share agreements, litigation funding, merchant cash advances and earned wage access products — to take a fresh look at whether...
Articles"6 key ways the California Privacy Rights Act of 2020 would revise the CCPA" by Amanda R. Lawrence, Sherry-Maria Safchuk, Garylene D. Javier, and John Georgievski (Corporate Compliance Insights)
The California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), the state’s landmark privacy regulation, became effective only eight months ago – and yet, the California Privacy Rights Act of 2020 (CPRA), a modified version of the CCPA, has garnered enough support to appear on the November 2020 ballot in California...
Articles"Implementing the CCPA regulations: Are you ready?" by Amanda R. Lawrence, Elizabeth E. McGinn, and Sherry-Maria Safchuk (Cybersecurity Law Report)
The final regulations under the California Consumer Privacy Act, introduced by the California Attorney General last October, became effective on August 14, 2020. The AG has already implemented many of the changes suggested in the public comments, but there are still several open questions that...
ArticlesSpecial Alert: California’s new consumer financial protection law expands UDAAP and enforcement authority
On Monday, August 31, the California Legislature passed Assembly Bill 1864 , which enacts the California Consumer Financial Protection Law (CCFPL) and changes the name of the Department of Business Oversight (DBO) to the Department of Financial Protection and Innovation (DFPI). Key takeaways...
Special Alerts"After storm and fire: How states protect service members" by Jeffrey P. Naimon, Sasha Leonhardt, and Jessica M. Shannon (Law360)
This has been an active year for National Guard call-ups to active duty, as the U.S. addresses hurricanes, wildfires and the novel coronavirus pandemic. National Guard activations are likely to remain high for several months due to ongoing responses to COVID-19, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric...
Articles"Data security best practices for licensed lenders' telework" by Sherry-Maria Safchuk and James C. Chou (Law360)
State-licensed/registered brokers, lenders and servicers have increased their focus on data security as the spread of COVID-19 has extended work-from-home orders, and what now seems to be a lasting acceptance of remote work means that the tools used to secure data will remain relevant when the...
Articles"Budding decentralized finance industry comes with risks" by Ali M. Abugheida (Law360)
The sudden rise of Compound Labs Inc.'s COMP governance token in recent months pushed decentralized finance into the headlines, raising the profile of blockchain-based finance systems to a more mainstream audience. This article provides a short primer on decentralized finance and discusses some of...
Articles"Educational tools may bring regulatory risk for fintech cos." by H Joshua Kotin, Michelle L. Rogers, and Kathryn R. Goodman (Law360)
Financial services providers are increasingly combining delivery of products and services with advice designed to help consumers make better-informed financial decisions. Fintech companies, which typically rely upon data and analytics as fundamental components of their business proposition, should...
Articles"What constitutes reasonable security per Calif. privacy law?" by Amanda R. Lawrence, Michael A. Rome, and James C. Chou (Law360)
California Consumer Privacy Act compliance has been focused on developing the policies, procedures and infrastructure to support new privacy rights for California residents, which include, among other things, the right to know what personal information companies have on them, the right to delete...
Articles"Accurate FCRA reporting during Covid-19" by Marshall T. Bell and Jessica L. Pollet (Bloomberg Law)
As financial institutions respond to a flurry of regulatory recommendations and mandates in response to the Covid-19 crisis, those relating to consumer reporting may be among the most difficult to decipher and operationalize. Federal and state authorities have made it clear that they expect...
Articles"TCPA relief for Covid-19 communications could extend to financial institutions" by Ali M. Abugheida and Geoffrey L. Warner (Bloomberg Law)
Financial institutions face unprecedented and rapidly evolving challenges in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, including the need to communicate quickly and efficiently with customers in the face of government-issued stay-at-home orders. But the Telephone Consumer Protection Act, with its steep...
Articles"Ruling on anti-hacking law may guide fair lending tests" by Jeffrey P. Naimon and H Joshua Kotin (Law360)
Regulators, consumer groups, academics and private litigants are grappling with the fair lending implications of the credit models powering the explosive growth in online lending by banks and financial technology firms. The U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia in late March concluded...
Articles"Financial regulators’ dilemma: Administrative and regulatory hurdles to innovation" by Jeremiah S. Buckley and Sasha Leonhardt (George Washington University Law School: Business & Finance Law Review)
Developments in financial technology hold great promise to enhance the quality, delivery, and reach of consumer financial services. However, many of the laws dictating the operations of financial regulators are more than 50 years old, and in drafting these laws Congress understandably did not...
Articles"Preparing for private right of action under Calif. privacy law" by Amanda R. Lawrence and Michael A. Rome (Law360)
The California Consumer Privacy Act went into effect at the beginning of this year, and while the California attorney general will not begin enforcing it until July, the private right of action that the CCPA created is available to consumers now. The CCPA expressly provides for a private right of...
ArticlesSpecial Alert: CARES Act places significant burdens on servicers of consumer debt but provides some relief to depositories
President Trump late last week signed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act that attempts to soften the negative economic effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on consumers, including by suspending payments for certain student loan borrowers and enabling mortgage loan borrowers to...
Special AlertsSpecial Alert: Fed’s new facilities offer hundreds of billions of dollars to businesses and issuers of credit for consumer and business debt
On March 23, the Federal Reserve announced that it is establishing and expanding a number of facilities to provide powerful support for the flow of credit to large U.S. employers and other businesses and families in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. The Fed’s facilities and related actions are...
Special AlertsSpecial Alert: Trailer bill would enact California Consumer Financial Protection Law
A trailer bill accompanying the governor’s proposed 2020-2021 state budget would expand the Department of Business Oversight’s (DBO) authority and enact the California Consumer Financial Protection Law (Law). Specifically, the provisions outlined in the proposed Law would revamp and rename the...
Special Alerts
News & Blogs
DFPI issues mortgage servicer requirements
On September 13, the California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation (DFPI) issued a notice detailing a new requirement that mortgage servicers provide information to DFPI describing the actions servicers are taking to help homeowners avoid foreclosure. According to the announcement,...
InfoBytes6th Circuit reverses FCRA ruling over misreported debt
On September 13, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit reversed a district court’s summary judgment ruling in favor of a defendant mortgage servicer, holding that a jury could find the defendant “willfully and negligently” violated the FCRA by incorrectly reporting a past due account...
InfoBytesCFPB releases annual college credit card report
On September 9, the CFPB released its annual report to Congress on college credit card agreements. The report was prepared pursuant to the CARD Act, which requires card issuers to submit to the CFPB the terms and conditions of any agreements they make with colleges, as well as certain organizations...
InfoBytesFHA issues presidentially declared major disaster area guidance
On September 10, FHA issued FHA INFO 21-7 , which reminds mortgagees originating and/or servicing FHA-insured mortgages in the U.S. and its territories of guidance applicable in the event of a presidentially declared major disaster area (PDMDA) during the Covid-19 pandemic. For PDMDAs issued in...
InfoBytesFTC approves five FCRA rule changes for auto dealers
On September 8, the FTC announced it approved final revisions to rules that would implement parts of the FCRA in line with the Dodd-Frank Act. As previously covered by InfoBytes , the agency sought comment on the proposed rule changes in 2020. In separate notices, the FTC approved largely technical...
InfoBytesHUD charges homeowner association with Fair Housing Act violations
On September 3, HUD announced a Charge of Discrimination against a Florida-based homeowner association (respondent) for allegedly violating the Fair Housing Act by discriminating against residents with disabilities. According to HUD, the complainants alleged that the respondents refused to...
InfoBytesFHA announces temporary partial waivers to HECM policies
On September 2, the FHA announced FHA INFO 2021-70 , which issues the following temporary partial waivers to its Home Equity Conversion Mortgage (HECM) policies for those impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic: (i) the temporary partial waiver of Mortgagee Letter 2015-11 , which allows mortgagees to...
InfoBytesSEC charges cryptocurrency lending platform involved in $2 billion scheme
On September 1, the SEC filed a complaint against an online cryptocurrency lending platform, its founder, and an additional executive and his affiliated company (collectively, “defendants”) alleging they fraudulently raised approximately $2 billion from retail investors through a global...
InfoBytesHUD announces Hurricane Ida disaster relief
On September 1, HUD announced disaster assistance for certain Louisiana parishes impacted by Hurricane Ida, providing foreclosure relief and other assistance to affected homeowners. This followed President Biden’s major disaster declaration for the same parishes issued on August 29. Specifically,...
InfoBytesMaryland Court of Appeals rejects distinction between “methods” of debt collection and “amounts” of debt to be collected
On August 27, the Maryland Court of Appeals reversed a circuit court’s dismissal of petitioners’ Maryland Consumer Debt Collection Act (MCDCA) and Consumer Protection Act (MCPA) claims, rejecting a distinction drawn by some courts “between ‘methods’ of debt collection and ‘amounts’ of debts sought...
InfoBytes
Press Releases & Announcements
Legal 500 2021 recognizes 17 Buckley attorneys in six practice areas
“While some firms will provide lengthy and expensive legal analysis, Buckley’s team relies on their depth and breadth of expertise to provide useful guidance from various team members quickly and efficiently,” a respondent told Legal 500, which ranked Buckley LLP as a top law firm and...
AnnouncementsBuckley recognized by Chambers USA for consumer financial services, white collar practices
Chambers USA named Buckley LLP a nationwide Band 1 firm in all consumer finance categories in its 2021 rankings, recognizing nine of its partners in those practices — more than any other firm in the country. The firm received top recognition in Consumer Finance Compliance, Consumer...
AnnouncementsLegal 500 2020 recognizes 21 Buckley attorneys in six practice areas
“Buckley attorneys are incredibly responsive while providing top quality legal services,” is how respondents described the firm in the 2020 edition of Legal 500, which ranked Buckley as a top law firm and recognized it in six categories:
- Corporate Investigations and White ...
Buckley recognized by Chambers USA as a “top-notch” firm in financial services and white collar work
Buckley has once again received top recognition in financial services regulation, white collar crime/government investigations, and fintech from Chambers USA, which ranks the country’s leading firms and lawyers in a range of practice areas based on research and client interviews....
AnnouncementsThe Legal 500 2019 recognizes 17 Buckley attorneys in five practice areas
The Legal 500 once again ranked Buckley as a top law firm and recognized it in five categories:
- Corporate Investigations and White Collar Criminal Defense: Corporate – Tier 4
- Corporate Investigations and White Collar Criminal Defense: Individuals – Tier 2 ...
Buckley recognized by Chambers USA as a “first-rate firm” in financial services; “crème de la crème” for White Collar practice
Buckley has once again received top recognition in financial services regulation and white collar crime/government investigations from Chambers USA, which ranks the country’s leading firms and lawyers in a range of practice areas based on research and client interviews.
In total...
AnnouncementsThe Legal 500 2018 recognizes five practice areas and 17 attorneys at Buckley Sandler
Buckley Sandler LLP again has been noted as one of the nation’s top law firms by The Legal 500 in its 2018 rankings, with recognition in five practice areas:
- Financial Services: Litigation
- Financial Services: Regulation
- Corporate ...
Buckley Sandler recognized by Chambers USA as “an excellent firm” with “a fine stable of expert attorneys”
Buckley Sandler once again has received top recognition in financial services regulation and white collar crime/government investigations from Chambers USA, which ranks the country’s leading firms and lawyers in a range of practice areas by researching the firms and interviewing...
AnnouncementsBuckley Sandler launches APPROVED licensing service
WASHINGTON, D.C. (March 7, 2018) – Buckley Sandler LLP today formally announced the launch of APPROVED , a new approach to licensing for financial services companies. Buckley Sandler is building upon years of financial services experience and licensing know-how to offer APPROVED, a technology-...
Press ReleasesThe Legal 500 2017 Recognizes Four Practice Areas and 20 Attorneys at Buckley Sandler
Buckley Sandler has again been cited as one of the nation’s top law firms by The Legal 500 in its 2017 rankings, with the recognition of four practice areas:
- Financial Services: Litigation
- Financial Services: Regulatory
- Cyber Law (Data Protection and ...
Our Consumer Finance Team
Partners
FYI
"The pendulum always swings twice: Disparate impact under the Obama, Trump, and Biden administrations" by Jeffrey P. Naimon and Sasha Leonhardt (American Bar Association Consumer Financial Services Committee Newsletter)
"CFPB order offers insight into pandemic mortgage servicing" by Jeffrey P. Naimon and H Joshua Kotin (Law360)
"CFPB credit stance has broad specialty finance implications" by Jeffrey P. Naimon and H Joshua Kotin (Law360)
Recent Blog Posts
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September 17, 2021
DFPI issues mortgage servicer requirements
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September 16, 2021
6th Circuit reverses FCRA ruling over misreported debt
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September 15, 2021
CFPB releases annual college credit card report
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September 10, 2021
FHA issues presidentially declared major disaster area guidance
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September 9, 2021
FTC approves five FCRA rule changes for auto dealers