As online consumer marketplace and peer-to-peer lending
(Marketplace Lending) continues to grow into the mainstream,
Marketplace Lending platform operators (Operators), lenders, and
their service providers will come under greater scrutiny from
federal and state regulators and policymakers. This pressure will
likely increase as small dollar lenders, banks, credit unions, and
institutional investors shift from traditional lending to
Marketplace Lending in search of new markets and the potential for
higher (or safer) returns. And, as is usually the case, additional
scrutiny will lead to questions of whether there are adequate
consumer protections for Marketplace Lending.
This article summarizes the complex and evolving regulatory
framework for Marketplace Lending and provides suggested best
practices for mitigating potential risk. In particular, we see
three broad trends that will drive operational and regulatory risk
for the industry moving forward:
- Increased operational costs driven by regulatory pressure;
- Increased regulatory and examination risks, most likely pushed by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) and Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC); and
- Increased emphasis on compliance with consumer protection laws and regulations, in particular the need to implement an effective, efficient compliance management system (CMS).
We address these challenges below, along with suggestions for how
Operators, lenders, and others in the industry can minimize
potential regulatory risk and set up their businesses for long-term
success.
What is Marketplace Lending?
With origins in crowdfunding, Marketplace Lending involves the
use of online and other financial technology (FinTech) to allow
direct lending between individuals (e.g., peers) in the consumer
lending marketplaces. A traditional Marketplace Lending Operator,
for example, manages an online platform that connects consumers
seeking to obtain loans with other consumers interested in lending
their own money to borrowers. The Operator does not lend its own
funds; rather, the Operator makes money by charging fees and
interest for each loan originated through the platform. In recent
years, Operators have begun to expand operations by partnering with
banks and institutional investors to fund lending platforms. A
hedge or private equity fund, for example, might fund loans through
a platform or purchase loans that have been bundled and
securitized.
Although Marketplace Lending has received considerable attention in
recent years as a disruptive force, the business model, at a basic
level, involves many of the same steps as traditional lending
– the marketing, underwriting, closing, servicing,
securitization (in some cases), and collection of loans (if
defaulted). All of these activities, as outlined below, have
traditionally been subject to significant state and federal
regulation and oversight. The fact that these activities take place
through a different mechanism may not always protect Operators,
lenders, and their service providers from federal and state
regulatory scrutiny.
What Federal and State Laws and Regulations Govern Consumer Marketplace Lending?
Marketplace Lending—like other forms of lending—is
subject to a host of federal and state consumer protection laws and
regulations. So much so, in fact, that the Dodd-Frank Wall Street
Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010 (Dodd-Frank) directed
the U.S. Government Accounting Office (GAO) to issue a report
exploring potential future approaches for regulating Marketplace
Lending. The GAO report, issued in 2011, identified two approaches:
The first, an SEC-centered approach, would focus on protecting
investors in connection with the purchase of federally regulated
securities. The second, a CFPB-centered approach, would place the
CFPB in charge of regulating Marketplace Lending loans as
"consumer financial products."
Although the GAO did not recommend a particular approach, the CFPB
is well positioned to take the lead in supervising and regulating
Marketplace Lending. The CFPB, after all, has broad supervisory and
examination, rulemaking, and enforcement authority over traditional
lenders and a broad consumer protection mandate. Until a lead
regulator emerges, however, the Marketplace Lending industry must
be cognizant of the overlapping roles of the various federal (and
even state) regulators. These regulators include, among others:
- Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. The CFPB is an independent federal agency responsible for enforcing "Federal consumer financial law," including Dodd-Frank's prohibition on unfair, deceptive, or abusive acts or practices (UDAAP) in consumer financial products and services. The CFPB's supervisory and enforcement authority extends to certain banks and nonbank entities that offer or provide financial products or services, including any "larger participants" in markets for consumer financial products and services that the CFPB defines by rule.
- Federal Trade Commission (FTC). The FTC is responsible for enforcing many federal consumer protection laws. In addition, the FTC investigates nonbank financial services providers that may be engaged in unfair or deceptive acts or practices. The FTC, for example, recently brought an enforcement action against an individual who engaged in deceptive acts and practices in raising funds for a crowdfunding campaign.
- Banking Regulators. Depository institutions are subject to comprehensive federal regulation and examination to ensure their safety and soundness. These regulators include the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency; Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System; Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation; National Credit Union Administration; and the Office of Thrift Supervision for federal thrifts.
- Securities and Exchange Commission. The SEC enforces federal securities regulation to protect investors through disclosure requirements and antifraud provisions that can be used to hold companies liable for providing false or misleading information to investors. Several Marketplace Lending platforms have registered with the SEC in connection with selling securities in the form of loan promissory notes to the public.
- State Regulation. State regulators often supervise nonbank financial services providers; however, the scope of state-level powers and levels of supervision vary by state. In addition, most states have usury, collection, and advertising laws that are enforced by state attorneys general. In addition, many states have licensing requirements that extend to lenders, brokers, and debt collectors that potentially apply to Marketplace Lending.
Together, each of the regulators noted above exercises a degree of
jurisdiction over the Marketplace Lending industry. In particular,
the business of consumer lending has long been subject to a host of
federal and state laws and regulations, including:
- Bank Secrecy Act—Requires financial institutions to adopt anti-money laundering policies and procedures;
- Electronic Fund Transfer Act—Protects consumers by establishing the rights, liabilities, and responsibilities of parties in electronic funds transfers (EFTs);
- Equal Credit Opportunity Act—Prohibits discrimination against credit applicants, establishes guidelines for evaluating credit information, and requires written notification when credit is denied;
- Fair Credit Reporting Act—Requires a permissible purpose to obtain a credit report, "furnishers" to report information to credit reporting agencies (i.e., credit bureaus) accurately, notice by creditors who take adverse action based on credit reports, and creditors to develop and maintain an identity theft prevention program;
- Fair Debt Collection Practices Act—Prohibits certain abusive and unfair acts and practices in connection with third-party debt collection of consumer debts;
- Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act—Restricts disclosure of nonpublic personal information to nonaffiliated third parties, and requires financial institutions to notify their consumers about their information-sharing practices and the consumers' right to "opt out" in certain circumstances if they do not want their information shared with certain nonaffiliated third parties;
- Securities Act of 1933—Requires an issuer engaged in the public offering of securities to register the securities with the SEC; and
- Truth in Lending Act—Establishes uniform methods for calculating the cost of credit, disclosing credit terms, and resolving errors on certain types of credit accounts.
Practical Considerations for Consumer Marketplace Lending
Within this increasingly aggressive regulatory environment,
there are, fortunately, steps that Operators, lenders, and their
service providers can take to limit potential scrutiny. The
starting point is the implementation of a comprehensive CMS that
covers the entity's business operations and compliance with
applicable laws.
Development of a Compliance Management
System. A CMS should be integrated into a
company's operations at every level. The focus on compliance
must be both top-down and bottom-up, with the board and senior
management exercising appropriate oversight to ensure that
employees have the right direction, training, resources, and
support to carry out the compliance function.
- Provide appropriate training for board members, management, and staff that covers compliance with federal financial and consumer protection laws.
- Implement underwriting policies with an eye toward preventing potential consumer harm.
- Implement a process for regular internal and external audits to review operations for compliance with applicable legal requirements.
- Develop systems to monitor for, respond to, and resolve consumer complaints and inquiries.
- Develop third-party oversight, management, and training to ensure that service providers comply with applicable federal financial and consumer protection laws.
Prepare for and Cooperate with
Examinations. While a regulator may lead with an
investigation and not an examination, preparing in advance for a
potential exam can help a company focus its compliance efforts and
mitigate regulatory risk. In the event of a CFPB or other
regulatory examination (or need for state licensure), the examinee
should take steps to present its operations and compliance policies
in the best possible light:
- Designate an employee (preferably within the legal or compliance department) to serve as the Point of Contact for the regulator examination team and the document collection and production process.
- Prepare and train staff who will likely interface with regulatory examiners.
- Set up an initial meeting with examiners to explain the company's business model and set appropriate expectations.
- Work with counsel to review all submissions to the regulator for responsiveness, privilege, and consistency.
- Respond in a timely manner to examiner requests—work with examiners to identify their key areas of interest and how the company can provide the requested information.
- Manage examiner expectations and maintain clear lines of communication.
- Review the draft examination report closely to identify any factual inaccuracies or areas of potential misunderstanding. If the regulator identifies any areas of potential concern, work with counsel to identify steps to "self-correct" or resolve the issues prior to the regulator's issuance of a final examination report (as appropriate).
Monitor Legal Developments and Be Aware of Lending
Activities That May Attract Heightened Scrutiny. The
Marketplace Lending industry should keep a close eye on federal and
state legal developments. As the legal framework continues to
evolve, the industry must keep pace or risk drawing the attention
of regulators. On March 26, 2015, for example, the CFPB announced
several proposals to regulate short-term and longer-term consumer
lending (focused, primarily, on payday and related lending). As
explained by Director Richard Cordray in announcing the proposals,
the Bureau is concerned that some lending products may extend
"credit to people in a way that sets them up to fail." In
this regard, the Bureau's proposals are an example of its focus
on holding financial institutions responsible under certain
circumstances for confirming that individual consumers can afford
the institution's products or services. Although the proposals
do not apply to Marketplace Lending, they nevertheless provide
insight into the types of lending practices that have drawn
scrutiny.
* * * * * * * * * *
As small dollar lenders, banks, credit unions, and institutional investors shift into this new market, so too will the regulators that enforce these laws and regulations. And, with the creation of the CFPB, there is now a single regulator of consumer financial products and services that has rulemaking, enforcement, and examination authority, including, potentially, over Marketplace Lenders and their service providers. Although the CFPB has been on the scene for only a few years, the Bureau has shown a willingness to use its tools aggressively to address perceived weaknesses in markets for consumer products and services.
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.