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Keith’s experience representing clients in the financial services industry as a litigation, compliance, regulatory, investigations (internal and regulatory), and enforcement attorney spans 20 years. Keith represents clients against government regulators (CFPB, FTC, SEC, CFTC), industry regulators (FINRA), and private litigants in federal courts, state courts, and before arbitration and administrative law panels in the financial services industry.

On October 14, the Fifth Circuit issued a one paragraph order to extend a stay on Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) payday lending regulations currently challenged by the Community Financial Services Association of America Ltd. and the Consumer Service Alliance of Texas. The stay will allow small dollar lenders to postpone the June 2022 compliance

On October 5, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed SB 497, legislation that restricts the types of prepaid accounts that can be used to receive certain government assistance payments. According to the National Consumer Law Center (NCLA), an advocacy organization that sponsored the legislation, the now-enacted law will “close a loophole that allows nonbank prepaid card

On September 29, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) released its biennial report to Congress regarding the consumer credit card climate. The report shows that the market’s growth during the last few years reversed course in 2020. It also provides the latest research findings on consumer credit use, its cost, and consumers’ access to credit,

On October 4, California passed a bill requiring a money transmitter to display a toll-free telephone number on its website through which a customer may contact the licensee for customer service issues and receive live customer assistance. The telephone number must be operative at least 10 hours per day, Monday through Friday, excluding federal holidays.

On September 30, the Senate confirmed Rohit Chopra as the new director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). Chopra’s confirmation marks the beginning of his second stint with the CFPB — Chopra served as the CFPB assistant director between 2010 and June 2015, and had overlapping duties as the student loan ombudsman between October

On September 9, the Conference of State Bank Supervisors (CSBS) released the Model Transmission Modernization Act (model law) in efforts to replace the 50 state-specific money transmitter laws with a nationwide standard. Unless the states adopt the model law, no change will occur to any existing state money transmission laws.

If enacted by the states,

On September 13, President Biden announced his intent to nominate privacy advocate Alvaro Bedoya to serve as a commissioner of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). If confirmed, Bedoya will take the seat currently held by Rohit Chopra, who President Biden has nominated as the next director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), as we

On July 29, the BBB National Programs’ Children’s Advertising Review Unit (CARU) issued revised guidelines for ads directed to children.

CARU helps companies comply with laws and guidelines that protect children from deceptive or inappropriate advertising and ensure that, in an online environment, children’s data is collected and handled responsibly. When advertising or data collection

The federal government’s recent argument that neither federal law nor the U.S. Constitution preempted a municipal ordinance in South Portland, ME demonstrates the sometimes-complex relationship between federal, state, and local laws.

Overview. The Portland Pipe Line Company had plans to reverse the oil flow in a pipeline from Canada to South Portland and construct 70-foot-tall

In the 10 years since the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) opened its doors on July 21, 2011, the agency has in many ways upheld its mandate of looking out for the public interest. Created by the passage of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act one year earlier, the CFPB is tasked