Consumer Financial Protection Circulars

Can requiring employees to sign overly broad confidentiality agreements violate Section 1057 of the Consumer Financial Protection Act (CFPA), the provision protecting the rights of whistleblower employees and undermine the CFPB’s ability to enforce the law?

“Covered persons” and “service providers” must comply with the prohibition on deceptive acts or practices in the CFPA. The inclusion of certain terms in contracts for consumer financial products or services may violate the prohibition when applicable federal or state law renders such contractual terms, including those that purport to waive consumer rights, unlawful or unenforceable.

Remittance transfer providers may be liable under the CFPA for deceptive marketing about the speed or cost of sending a remittance transfer. Providers may be liable under the CFPA for deceptive marketing practices regardless of whether the provider is in compliance with the disclosure requirements of the Remittance Rule.

For many households, the process of shopping for a financial product or service now includes interactions with digital intermediaries.

The Equal Credit Opportunity Act (ECOA), implemented by Regulation B, makes it unlawful for any creditor to discriminate against any applicant with respect to any aspect of a credit transaction on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex (including sexual orientation and gender identity), marital status, age (provided the applicant has the capacity to contract), because all or part of the applicant’s income derives from any public assistance program, or because the applicant has in good faith exercised any right under the Consumer Credit Protection Act.

A financial institution’s unilateral reopening of deposit accounts that consumers previously closed can constitute a violation of the CFPA’s probation on unfair acts or practices.

Can persons that engage in negative option marketing practices violate the prohibition on unfair, deceptive, or abusive acts or practices in the Consumer Financial Protection Act (CFPA)?

Consumer reporting agencies and furnishers must reasonably investigate consumer disputes.

Can the assessment of overdraft fees constitute an unfair act or practice under the Consumer Financial Protection Act (CFPA), even if the entity complies with the Truth in Lending Act (TILA) and Regulation Z, and the Electronic Fund Transfer Act (EFTA) and Regulation E?

Can debt collection and consumer reporting practices relating to nursing home debts that are invalid under the Nursing Home Reform Act violate the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) and Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA)?

Can entities violate the prohibition on unfair acts or practices in the Consumer Financial Protection Act (CFPA) when they have insufficient data protection or information security?

When creditors make credit decisions based on complex algorithms that prevent creditors from accurately identifying the specific reasons for denying credit or taking other adverse actions, do these creditors need to comply with the Equal Credit Opportunity Act’s requirement to provide a statement of specific reasons to applicants against whom adverse action is taken?

When do representations involving the name or logo of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) or about deposit insurance constitute a deceptive act or practice in violation of the Consumer Financial Protection Act (CFPA)?

To promote consistency among enforcers and fair competition in the market, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) is launching a new system to provide guidance to other agencies with consumer financial protection responsibilities on how the CFPB intends to enforce federal consumer financial law. The CFPB will issue Consumer Financial Protection Circulars to the broad set of government agencies responsible for enforcing federal consumer financial law.