Not surprisingly, letters sent to the CFPB this week by New York Financial Services Superintendent Benjamin Lawsky and by 12 House Republicans urge the CFPB to take very different approaches as it considers payday and short-term loan rulemaking.

In their letter, the House Republicans set forth the following five principles which they believe the CFPB should follow in adopting rules for payday and short-term loans:

  • Maintain a data-driven approach in which rulemaking is based on large scale data analysis and tested research, not anecdotal or agenda-driven rhetoric
  • Consider the impact on small businesses that provide access to credit through the use of their own capital and employment opportunities
  • Consider the impact on rural communities which can be disproportionately impacted by overzealous regulations
  • Conduct a qualitative and quantitative cost-benefit analysis
  • Consider state models in states that have passed short-term lending laws

In contrast, Mr.… Continue Reading

Below is an update on the lawsuits we have been following that state attorneys general and a state regulator have brought using their Dodd-Frank enforcement authority.  Under Dodd-Frank Section 1042, a state AG or regulator is authorized to bring a civil action to enforce provisions of Dodd-Frank Title 10 or regulations issued under Title 10, including the Dodd-Frank prohibition of unfair, deceptive or abusive acts or practices (UDAAP).… Continue Reading

A settlement has been announced in the lawsuit filed by Benjamin Lawsky, the Superintendent of the New York Department of Financial Services, using his Dodd-Frank Section 1042 authority.  Section 1042 allows state attorneys general and regulators to bring civil actions for violations of Dodd-Frank’s prohibition of unfair, deceptive, or abusive acts or practices. … Continue Reading

The defendants in the lawsuit brought by Benjamin Lawsky, the Superintendent of the New York Department of Financial Services, using his Dodd-Frank enforcement authority have filed an appeal with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.  Under Dodd-Frank Section 1042, a state AG or regulator is authorized to bring a civil action for a violation of the Dodd-Frank prohibition of unfair, deceptive or abusive acts or practices.… Continue Reading

Earlier this week, Benjamin Lawsky, the Superintendent of the New York Department of Financial Services (DFS), became the first state regulator to use his authority under Dodd-Frank Section 1042 to bring a civil action for a violation of the Dodd-Frank prohibition of unfair, deceptive or abusive acts or practices (UDAAP).  Similar to most other states’ laws prohibiting unfair or deceptive acts or practices (UDAP), New York’s General Business Law only allows UDAP actions to be filed by the state’s attorney general.  … Continue Reading