October 2011 – Consumer Financial Services Watch

CFPB to Host Town Hall in Minneapolis on October 26

Oct 24 2011

The CFPB, which has regularly reached out to consumers online through its blog posts and its consumer complaint portal, is also seeking consumer input the old-fashioned way – in person. On October 26, Raj Date, Special Advisor to the Secretary of the Treasury for the CFPB, who previously spoke with consumers in Philadelphia, will be headed to Minneapolis, Minnesota to discuss the Bureau’s upcoming initiatives directly with consumers. The Bureau has plans on holding more events aimed at consumers throughout the country in the upcoming months.

CSBS/AARMR Order Up State Loan Originator Compensation Examination Guidelines – But Go Easy On The Guidance!

Oct 13 2011

By: Kris D. Kully

The CSBS/AARMR Multistate Mortgage Committee (MMC) released a set of examiner guidelines to assist state regulators in implementing the Federal Reserve Boards loan originator compensation restrictions. Unfortunately, those guidelines provide very little guidance for examiners in determining whether state-regulated mortgage lenders or brokers have complied with those restrictions, or for the lenders or brokers seeking to comply. Like the children’s game of Hot Potato, the Federal Reserve Board issued the rulemaking, and then handed it over to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, but so far has left interpretation and/or enforcement of the rule to other federal and state agencies. While there are many significant questions that remain in understanding and implementing the loan originator compensation restrictions, the new state CSBS/AARMR examination guidelines do not (and cannot really be expected to) provide those answers. This client alert highlights certain aspects of the guidelines and describes the limited take-aways provided for state-regulated mortgage lenders, brokers, and loan originators.

To view the complete alert online, click here.

CFPB Shares Company Portal Manual with Industry

Oct 12 2011

By: Kathryn M. Baugher

In the months ahead, the CFPB will be expanding the coverage of its consumer complaint portal to include products such as mortgages and student loans. Consumers have been able to submit credit card complaints through a portal on the CFPB web site since July 21st. In addition to providing a consumer portal through which consumers can submit and check on the status of their complaints, the CFPB now provides a company portal through which companies can view and respond to consumer complaints. The CFPB recently met with industry representatives to show them how the new system works. Read More

CFPB Official Hints at Disclosure Requirements for Checking Accounts

Oct 10 2011

By: David L. Beam

Raj Date recently issued a statement on the CFPB’s web site which suggests that the Bureau is considering a standardized disclosure form for checking account fees. The “problem,” Mr. Date said, “is that checking accounts often come with a wide variety of unexpected costs that can quickly add up for consumers.” One bank might call the fee one thing, while another bank calls it something else. And the circumstances under which banks charge the same fee might be different. Read More

California Governor Vetoes Burdensome Payroll Card Bill

Oct 10 2011

By: David L. Beam, Steven M. Kaplan, Kathryn M. Baugher

The effort to impose demanding new requirements on payroll cards in California just lost some steam. On Sunday, October 9, California Governor Jerry Brown vetoed a bill that would have imposed an onerous set of requirements and restrictions on employers who want to pay employees by payroll card (and, by extension, the financial institutions that provide payroll card programs to employers). The provisions of the Bill were vastly more burdensome than the requirements imposed by federal law and many other state wage and hour laws. Fortunately, Governor Brown recognized that the Bill went too far.

To view the complete alert online, click here.

Is the CFPB a Step Closer to Having a Leader?

Oct 07 2011

By: Stephanie C. Robinson

Richard Cordray’s nomination to become the director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau will be in the hands of the full Senate now that the Senate Banking Committee has approved his nomination along a 12-10 party-line vote. But will the CFPB ever have an official leader in place? Not at this rate.

It has been fourteen months since Congress passed the Dodd-Frank Act, and the new government agency still has no formal leader. Read More

Archive:October 2011