On March 22, 2021, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) released its 2020 annual report to Congress on the administration of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA). The CFPB’s annual report follows the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) annual letter to the CFPB regarding the FDCPA, publicly released on March 19, 2021. The annual report highlights both agencies’ efforts […]
Debt Collection
CFPB Issues Statement Encouraging Financial Institutions and Debt Collectors to Allow Stimulus Payments to Reach Consumers; Creates Potential Consumer Confusion
A&B ABstract: Without additional guidance, the recent statement from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) about stimulus funds may create consumer confusion. CFPB Raises Concern About EIP Funds Reaching Consumers On March 17, 2021, Acting CFPB Director Dave Uejio issued a statement regarding consumers’ access to Economic Impact Payment (EIP) funds distributed through the American […]
Alston & Bird Analyzes New Guidance on Remote Work in Client Alert
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to persist across the nation, some state regulators have begun to consider, or have adopted, measures to allow employees of licensed entities to work from home, both during the pandemic and permanently thereafter. Alston & Bird has issued a client alert unpacking a pair of state rules that extend or […]
California Enacts Debt Collector Licensure Law
A&B Abstract: On September 25, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed into law Senate Bill 908, which, in part, enacts the California Debt Collection Licensing Act (“Act”). Effective January 1, 2022, the Act will require the licensure of persons that engage in debt collection in California with California residents. Notably, the Act also applies to entities […]
District Courts Split on Convenience Fees Under Debt Collection Laws
A&B ABstract: In a number of recent decisions, district courts have split on the issue of whether a mortgage servicer violates the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (“FDCPA”) and related state debt collection statutes by charging a borrower a convenience fee for making a mortgage payment over the phone, interactive voice recording system (“IVR”). FDCPA […]