On January 5, 2021, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) Taskforce on Federal Consumer Financial Law (Taskforce) issued a nearly 900-page final report (Report) making extensive recommendations for legislative and regulatory reform, enactment, and adoption of new initiatives in the financial marketplace. In proposing changes to the existing legal and regulatory framework, the Report is centered around five key principles: (1) consumer protection; (2) information and education; (3) competition and innovation; (4) regulatory modernization and flexibility; and (5) inclusion and access.

In the second installment of the Consumer Financial Services Litigation Webinar Series, Seyfarth attorneys will offer predictions on what financial services companies might expect from the CFPB in the months ahead as a result of the Taskforce Report. Specifically, Seyfarth attorneys will provide a deeper dive into the following:

  • The Background of the Taskforce, its Report and prior studies that provided the starting point and reasons for the current consumer financial services regulatory review.
  • Status of a recent legal challenge to the Taskforce and its Report pending in the Massachusetts federal court.
  • Key recommendations, including:
    • Focusing enforcement decisions on the "lodestar" of consumer harm;
    • Providing public transparency as to how enforcement decisions are made;
    • Rethinking Regulation Z's required disclosures to better inform consumers;
    • Increasing access to credit for more consumers;
    • Providing the CFPB flexibility to determine that compliance with particular federal and state regulations during times of emergency would be impracticable.
  • Predictions for the scope of reliance and magnitude of the Taskforce Report given the change to the Biden-Harris Administration and nomination of a new CFPB Director.

Submit your questions for our Q&A Session upon registration. There is an additional field in the registration link to enter your questions.

Consumer Financial Services Webinar Series

Given the magnitude of the potential changes ahead, Seyfarth has developed a webinar series designed to convey strategies and best practices to help you to ensure that your company and internal clients are prepared for what is ahead. To stay abreast of these changes, please subscribe to our mailing to list.

Subscribe to Seyfarth's Consumer Financial Services Mailing List.

For updates and insight on Consumer Financial Services Issues, we invite you to click here to subscribe to Seyfarth's Consumer Class Defense Blog.

*CLE Credit for these webinars is approved in the following states: CA, IL, NJ and NY. CLE Credit is pending for GA, TX and VA. Credit will be applied for, but cannot be guaranteed, in all other eligible jurisdictions. Please note that in order to receive full credit for attending each webinar, the registrant must be present for the entire session.

Register

Speakers

J. Patrick Kennedy, Senior Counsel, Seyfarth Shaw LLP
James R. Billings-Kang, Associate, Seyfarth Shaw LLP
Michael E. Jusczyk, Associate, Seyfarth Shaw LLP

Thursday, March 25, 2021

12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. Eastern
11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Central
10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. Mountain
9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. Pacific

The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.