All in Regulatory Update

On September 21, 2023, the CFPB announced it is beginning a rulemaking process to remove medical bills from Americans’ credit reports. The CFPB outlined proposals under consideration that would help families financially recover from medical crises, stop debt collectors from coercing people into paying bills they may not even owe, and ensure that creditors are not relying on data that is often plagued with inaccuracies and mistakes.

On September 18, 2023, the CFPB published a final rule to implement the annual adjustment requirements of Regulation Z. Specifically, the CFPB is required to calculate annually the dollar amounts for several provisions in Regulation Z, and the final rule revises, as applicable, the dollar amounts for provisions implementing TILA and amendments to TILA that impact Home Ownership and Equity Protection Act (HOEPA) and Qualified Mortgages The CFPB is adjusting these amounts, where appropriate, based on the annual percentage change reflected in the Consumer Price Index (CPI) in effect on June 1, 2023.

On September 18, 2023, FinCEN published a Small Entity Compliance Guide to assist the small business community in complying with the beneficial ownership information (BOI) reporting rule.  The Compliance Guide is intended to help businesses determine if they are required to report their beneficial ownership information to FinCEN as starting in 2024, many entities created in or registered to do business in the United States will be required to report information about their beneficial owners.

On September 15, 2023, FinCEN assessed a $15 million civil money penalty against Bancrédito International Bank and Trust Corporation (Bancrédito) for willful violations of the Bank Secrecy Act (BSA) and its implementing regulations. This is FinCEN’s first enforcement action against a Puerto Rican International Banking Entity (IBE), and includes the first violation for failure to implement and maintain an Anti-Money Laundering (AML) program also known as the “Gap Rule.”

On September 15, 2023, the ABA Banking Journal published an article announcing a Ketucky federal judge’s nationwide injunction blocking enforcement of the CFPB’s Section 1071 final rule until the U.S. Supreme Court rules on the constitutionality of the bureau’s funding structure. The said injunction is separate from the ruling issued by a Texas judge in July, which only applied to ABA and Texas Bankers Association members.

On September 8, 2023, the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas issued a summary judgment vacating the CFPB’s March 2022 update to the UDAAP Chapter of the CFPB’s Supervision and Examination Manual - for members of the plaintiffs. This is after the plaintiffs - the ABA, the Texas Bankers Association, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and several others - challenged the CFPB’s March 2022 interpretation in its Consumer Compliance Examination Manual of its authority to include discrimination as an unfair act or practice under its Consumer Financial Protection Act (CFPA) UDAAP authority. This ruling applies to members of the plaintiffs.