On March 25, the Utah governor signed HB 378, which creates a state regulatory sandbox program through the state’s Department of Commerce (Department) that allows participants to temporarily test innovative financial products or services on a restricted basis without requiring a license or authorization to act under Utah law. Under the program, approved applicants will have…
On March 26, the West Virginia governor signed HB 3143, which amends the requirements for regulated consumer lending in the state to provide that a person making or taking assignment of consumer loans, or “undertaking direct collection of payments,” must first be licensed by the state’s Commissioner of Banking. Among other things, the act also adjusts…
On March 19, the Montana governor signed HB 107, which amends the Montana Mortgage Act to, among other things, add capital requirements for mortgage servicers and net worth requirements for mortgage originators licensed in the state. The bill provides that a failure to meet or maintain the outlined standards could result in a license application denial…
On March 25, the Colorado governor signed SB 46, which amends the definition of an appraisal management companies (AMC) in sections of the Colorado Revised Statutes to align with the definition in federal law. The act, with the exception of section 3, takes effect immediately. On March 19, the Arkansas governor signed SB 393, which amends the…
On March 19, the Virginia governor signed HB 2690, which requires money transmitters to be licensed through the National Multistate Licensing System and Registry (NMLS). The bill also (i) amends the definition of a “member” subject to the law’s requirements to include a person who owns or controls ten percent (previously it was five) of…
On March 19, the Kentucky governor signed S.B. 145, which establishes separate licenses for check cashing and deferred deposit service businesses. In addition, S.B. 145 creates a new section that allows the Department of Financial Institutions commissioner to (i) require license applications and certain other regulatory filings to also be filed with the State Regulatory Registry…
On March 8, the Virginia governor signed HB 2284, which amends Title 6.2 Chapter 20 of the Code of Virginia to exempt banks, savings institutions, credit unions, and individuals licensed to practice law in the state from the licensing requirements applicable to persons that provide debt management plans. Additionally, persons licensed under the amended chapter are…
On March 7, the Nebraska governor approved LB 355, which amends various sections of the state’s financial laws, including the Nebraska Residential Mortgage Licensing Act (RMLA). Among other things, the RMLA is being amended to (i) provide requirements for the submission of fingerprints for specified principals of mortgage firm applications; (ii) adopt the transitional licensing…
On March 6, the Colorado Governor signed SB 19-23, which provides limited exemptions from the state’s securities registration and licensing requirements for persons dealing in certain types of digital tokens. The “Colorado Digital Token Act” (the Act) provides issuer exemptions for digital tokens sold for a “consumptive purpose”—the token is used in exchange for a good,…
On February 26, the Arkansas Governor signed SB 188, which amends certain provisions of the state’s Fair Mortgage Lending Act (the Act) to comply with recent developments in federal law. Among other things, the amendments, which take effect 90 days after adjournment, include (i) modifying the Act’s definition of an “applicant” and “licensee” to now include…
On February 19, the Wyoming Governor signed HB 57, which creates a fintech sandbox program in the state for companies to test innovative financial products and services. Wyoming is the second state to introduce a regulatory sandbox program, following Arizona’s sandbox introduction last March. (Previously covered by InfoBytes here.) Under the “Financial Technology Sandbox Act” (the…
On February 14, the Conference of State Bank Supervisors (CSBS) agreed to implement specific recommendations from the CSBS Fintech Industry Advisory Panel. The Advisory Panel, which was formed in 2017 and consists of 33 fintech companies, works to “identify and remove unnecessary pain points in the multistate experience of fintechs and other nonbanks operating regionally or nationwide…
On February 13, the Arkansas Governor approved SB 187, which amends the state’s Uniform Money Services Act as it relates to money transmission licensees and currency exchanges. Among other things, the amendments (i) revise surety bond and net worth amounts money transmission licensees are required to maintain; (ii) specify application and renewal requirements and deadlines; (iii)…
California licensees have a pair of deadlines approaching in March. The annual report for California Residential Mortgage Lending Act licensees is due by March 1, and the annual report for California Financing Law licensees is due by March 15. Both reports cover activity conducted by licensees in calendar year 2018 and the information provided is…
Christopher D’Angelo has been hired by New York Attorney General Letitia James to serve as the Chief Deputy Attorney General for Economic Justice. D’Angelo previously served as the associate director of the CFPB’s Supervision, Enforcement and Fair Lending Division and played a key role in some of the CFPB’s highest profile enforcement matters. In his…
On February 11, the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey denied a motion to dismiss a putative class action against a debt collector and its legal counsel, holding that the plaintiff debtor made a plausible claim under the FDCPA that the debt collector was required by New Jersey’s Consumer Financing Licensing Act (NJCFLA) to…
There are 11 states that have enacted some form of the Uniform Consumer Credit Code (UCCC), a model law that regulates all aspects of consumer credit — from advertising to collection. UCCCs include a licensing and/or notification requirement and, depending on the scope of activities engaged in, as well as available exemptions, some companies may…
The Pennsylvania Department of Banking and Securities recently published guidance stating that virtual currency, including “Bitcoin,” is not considered “money” under the state’s Money Transmitter Act (MTA). According to the guidance, only “fiat currency,” or currency issued by the U.S. government is considered “money” under the MTA and that to transmit money under the MTA, (i) fiat…
Buckley attorneys Kathryn L. Ryan, Moorari K. Shah, and Frida Alim authored a Equipment Leasing & Finance Magazine article, “Equipment finance: Understanding licensing obligations,” which discussed an overview of licensing considerations and trends in state enforcement activity with respect to equipment finance. Click here to read the full article.
On January 11, the Georgia Department of Banking and Finance (Department) announced the issuance of a Final Order taken against a Florida-based money transmitter and two of its officers for allegedly failing to, among other things, timely file suspicious activity reports (SARs) or conduct required background checks on covered employees. Following a hearing, the Department issued the Final…