House Bill Would Strengthen Online Credit Card Disclosures. Rep. David Price, D-NC, recently introduced the Online Credit Card Disclosure Act, legislation which would require credit card companies to inform consumers about the risks associated with minimum debt payments by regularly publishing clear, personalized pay-down disclosures online, including websites and mobile apps. “As more and more Americans handle their financial affairs [Includes three briefs] ...
After months of gathering and reviewing comments on credit-scoring options, the Federal Housing Finance Agency abruptly called off its plan to announce new guidelines for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac by the end of this year. The two major credit-score providers aren’t happy with the news.
During a heated hearing last week on Capitol Hill, the nominee to become the next CFPB director, Kathy Kraninger, identified some of her broad priorities for the consumer agency if she gets the job. Kraninger appeared to embrace the industry-friendly approach for the bureau that has been set by her boss at the Office of Management and Budget, Mick Mulvaney, who is also the acting director at the CFPB. Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-OH, said Kraninger showed a philosophy ...
The CFPB recently fined Kansas-based National Credit Adjusters and its former chief executive $800,000 for illegal debt collection practices. The bureau originally ordered a $6 million civil money penalty but suspended most of it based on the financial condition of NCA and its former CEO. The CFPB said in a consent order that NCA and its former CEO, Bradley Hochstein, purchased consumer debt and used a network of debt collection companies that frequently ...
CFPB Joins Task Force on Market Integrity and Consumer Fraud. The CFPB recently joined a new Task Force on Market Integrity and Consumer Fraud, created by President Trump pursuant to an executive order. The task force is led by the Department of Justice, with the participation of the CFPB, the Securities and Exchange Commission, and the Federal Trade Commission. The task force will provide guidance for the investigation and prosecution of cases [Includes four briefs] ...
The CFPB asked Citibank to pay $335 million to credit card customers who did not receive legally mandated interest rate reductions as part of a recent legal settlement, but the agency – interestingly – did not fine the bank for its misconduct. The bureau said it did not assess civil money penalties based on the fact that “Citibank self-identified and self-reported the violations to the bureau, and self-initiated remediation on affected consumers.” It’s not the first time the ...
CFPB Studies How Student Loan Borrowers Transition Out Of Debt. The CFPB recently issued a report on student loan payments and broader household borrowing. The report provides a close look at borrowers’ use of credit as they approach and make their final student loan payments and what follows in the months beyond. One key finding: Most borrowers pay off a student loan before the final installment is due, often with a single large payment. Further [Includes Four Briefs] ...
A House Republican asked the CFPB to stop so- called regulation by enforcement and to clarify the use and role of the guidance it has issued. Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer, R-MO, recently sent a letter to six agencies, including the CFPB, expressing concerns that guidance that does not go through notice-and-comment rulemaking has been used as the basis of enforcement actions. “Many of my colleagues and I hear frequently from financial institutions that guidance promulgated ...
The CFPB fined a South Carolina-based installment lender $5 million for unlawful debt collection practices, including threatening consumers with jail, shoving them and physically blocking a consumer from leaving private property. It is the second enforcement action since Mick Mulvaney, the White House budget director, took the reins of the CFPB last year. The Security Group and its subsidiaries own and operate approximately 900 locations in 20 states across the country ...
The CFPB has issued a report on end-of- year credit card borrowing and repayment of credit card balances in the following year. The report found the year-end rise in consumer debt was most pronounced in general purpose credit card debt and retail store card debt. Delinquency rates on credit cards rise during and after the holiday season, driven by consumers with subprime credit scores, the report said [Includes one brief] ...