Showing 41 posts from 2020.

New York State Passes Eviction and Foreclosure Moratorium Protecting Renters, Homeowners, and Small Landlords

On Monday, December 28, 2020, Governor Andrew Cuomo signed the COVID-19 Emergency Eviction and Foreclosure Prevention Act of 2020. Among other things, this legislation (S.9114/A.11181) extends certain residential foreclosure and eviction moratoria for renters and homeowners suffering hardship due to the COVID-19 pandemic. More ›

An Overview of California's New Voter-Approved California Privacy Rights Act

In the recent November elections, California voters approved the California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA), which significantly amends the recently enacted California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) and creates new obligations for covered businesses. In an alert hosted on our main website, we break down some of the more noteworthy requirements under the CPRA, which will not be fully operative until January 2023.

In a Win for Mortgage Servicers, Massachusetts Supreme Court Finds Mandatory Notice of Right to Cure in Notice of Default is Not Potentially Deceptive

Massachusetts moved one step closer to resolving an ongoing debate over pre-foreclosure notices of default that started with the First Circuit's decision in Thompson v. JPMorgan Chase Bank back in February of 2019. Initially, the First Circuit concluded that a notice of default, which disclosed that borrowers "could still avoid foreclosure by paying the total past-due amount before a foreclosure sale," was potentially misleading because the mortgage only allowed reinstatement five days before the sale. Chase filed a petition for rehearing, joined by numerous amici, that demanded reconsideration of the First Circuit's decision on grounds that the potentially misleading language was in fact a mandatory disclosure under the Code of Massachusetts Regulations. More ›

New York State DFS Urges Financial Institutions to Consider and Prepare for Impact of Climate Change

Having sent a similar letter to New York's domestic and foreign insurance companies, the New York State Department of Financial Services (DFS) issued a letter on October 29, 2020 explicitly calling on its regulated financial institutions to start integrating financial risks associated with climate change into their business strategies, risk management processes, and governance frameworks. DFS' expectations apply to New York-regulated banks, mortgage bankers and servicers (Regulated Organizations), as well as to other New York-regulated non-depositories, including money transmitters, licensed lenders, sales finance companies, and virtual currency firms (Regulated Non-Depositories). More ›

CFPB Rescinds RESPA Compliance and Marketing Services Agreements Bulletin, Provides Clarity on RESPA Fee Prohibition in FAQs

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB ) rescinded Bulletin 2015-05, RESPA Compliance and Marketing Services Agreements on October 7, 2020, stating that the bulletin did not provide the regulatory clarity necessary for compliance with the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA) and Regulation X. The CFPB also issued frequently asked questions (FAQs) to clarify when marketing services agreements (MSAs) are acceptable under RESPA. More ›

NYS DFS Publishes its Investigative Report of the Twitter Hack of July 2020

The New York State Department of Financial Services issued a press release on Thursday announcing the publication of its investigative report of the July 2020 Twitter hack. The exhaustive report reviews the facts surrounding the hack, provides a visual timeline, and explores the cybersecurity weaknesses at Twitter that made the hack possible, including a lack of leadership, vulnerability to social engineering, and a failure to address the new vulnerabilities caused by the pandemic-driven shift to mass remote working. More ›

Fourth Edition of 50 State Guide on Student Loan Servicing Regulations Now Available

An important resource for financial services compliance professionals has been updated. The Fourth Edition of the 50 State Guide on Student Loan Servicing Regulations is a quick reference guide and resource for student loan servicers regarding the regulations specific to the industry, along with pending legislation, litigation, and court rulings. More ›

Validating Cyber Compliance in Light of the First DFS Enforcement Action

We recently reported on the New York State Department of Financial Services' (DFS) first enforcement action under its 2017 cybersecurity regulation ("Part 500"), which prescribes how financial services companies licensed to operate in New York should construct their cybersecurity programs. DFS' statement of charges provides important insight into the agency's priorities and expectations when assessing how a company has addressed and mitigated a data exposure, and offers a roadmap for how other regulators might interpret similar data security laws being implemented across the country. Given increasing regulatory scrutiny and the fact that inappropriate cybersecurity procedures and practices could result in significant financial liabilities, companies should proactively re-assess where they stand in relation to applicable cyber mandates.

We highlight here some key takeaways from the recent DFS enforcement action that entities subject to Part 500 should carefully consider when validating their current state of compliance. More ›

Another Cybersecurity Wake Up Call: Connecticut Insurance Department Issues Guidance on Cyber Law Set to go Into Effect

Covered entities received two cybersecurity wake up calls from insurance regulators this month. As we have reported, the New York State Department of Financial Services (DFS) issued its long-awaited first cyber enforcement action pursuant to its groundbreaking and first-in-nation cybersecurity regulation. In addition, the Connecticut Insurance Department issued a Bulletin to all licensees, providing guidance for compliance with the Connecticut Insurance Data Security Law (the Act), which goes into effect on October 1, 2020. The Act was modeled after the National Association of Insurance Commissioners Model Cybersecurity Law, which itself was modeled after the DFS cybersecurity regulation. More ›

New York Courts Lift Suspension of Foreclosure Proceedings, Add Additional Conference Requirement

On July 24, 2020, the New York State Courts issued Administrative Order 157/20 (AO/157/20). Effective July 27, 2020, AO/157/20 removes the formal suspension of all residential foreclosures, but keeps a limited suspension of commercial foreclosures in place until August 19, 2020. Under this new directive, foreclosure actions can be resumed by courts first scheduling at least one conference. Those conferences are expected to be the same as the mandatory CPLR 3408 settlement conferences—even if settlement conferences were previously held—because the courts were directed to consider all aspects of the case, including "the effects, if any, that the COVID-19 pandemic has had upon the parties." More ›