Primary Sources

Guidance about using TANF funds to support families facing an economic crisis as a result of EBT theft.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB or Bureau) issues this Compliance Bulletin to provide guidance to covered persons and service providers regarding fee assessments for pay-by-phone services (phone pay fees) and the potential for violations of sections 1031 and 1036 of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act’s (Dodd-Frank Act) prohibition on engaging in unfair, deceptive, or abusive acts or practices (collectively, UDAAPs) when assessing phone pay fees. 

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) published ‘‘Debt Collection Practices (Regulation F)’’ on January 19, 2021, to revise Regulation F, which implements the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act. Omissions in that document resulted in certain paragraphs in the Official Interpretations (Commentary) not being incorporated into the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR). This document corrects the Official Interpretations to Regulation F by adding the missing paragraphs to the CFR.

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) is seeking comments on proposed amendments to its regulation governing parent companies of industrial banks and industrial loan companies. This regulation, which was adopted in December 2020, requires certain conditions and written commitments in situations that would result in an industrial bank or industrial loan company becoming a subsidiary of a company that is not subject to consolidated supervision by the Federal Reserve Board.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) is charged with promoting competition and innovation in consumer financial products and services. After careful study of emerging offerings in the paycheck advance marketplace, including those marketed as ‘‘earned wage advances’’ and ‘‘earned wage access,’’ the CFPB is proposing this interpretive rule to help market participants determine when certain existing requirements under Federal law are triggered.

On January 4, 2024, the Federal Trade Commission (‘‘FTC’’ or ‘‘Commission’’) published a Final Rule in the Federal Register, titled ‘‘Combating Auto Retail Scams Trade Regulation Rule’’ (‘‘CARS Rule,’’ ‘‘Rule,’’ or ‘‘Final Rule’’), in order to curtail certain unfair or deceptive acts or practices by motor vehicle dealers. The CARS Rule was to become effective on July 30, 2024. Because of a pending legal challenge, this document announces that the effective date of the Final Rule is delayed until further notice.

The Board and the Bureau (collectively, the Agencies) are publishing final rules amending the official interpretations and commentary for the Agencies’ regulations that implement the Truth in Lending Act (TILA). The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (Dodd-Frank Act) amended TILA by requiring that the dollar threshold for exempt consumer credit transactions be adjusted annually by the annual percentage increase in the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI–W).

The Board, FDIC, and OCC (collectively, the agencies) are issuing final guidance on managing risks associated with third-party relationships. The final guidance offers the agencies’ views on sound risk management principles for banking organizations when developing and implementing risk management practices for all stages in the life cycle of third-party relationships. The final guidance states that sound third-party risk management takes into account the level of risk, complexity, and size of the banking organization and the nature of the third-party relationship.

Under the Congressional Review Act (CRA), Congress has passed and the President has signed a joint resolution disapproving the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency’s (OCC) final rule titled ‘‘National Banks and Federal Savings Associations as Lenders.’’ This final rule established a test to determine when a national bank or Federal savings association (bank) makes a loan and is the ‘‘true lender,’’ including in the context of a relationship between a bank and a third party, such as a marketplace lender.

The Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection is rescinding the Statement of Policy Regarding Prohibition on Abusive Acts or Practices.