Separate from its new proposed rule on payday lending, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau today issued a "request for information" concerning potentially high-risk loan products and practices that are not specifically covered by the proposed rule.
The request for information is focused on:
- Concerns about risky products not covered: The Bureau is seeking information about forms of non-covered loans such as high-cost, longer-duration installment loans and open-end lines of credit where the lender does not take a vehicle title as collateral or gain account access. The CFPB’s inquiry seeks information about the range and volume of installment and open-end credit products that are offered in this market, their pricing structures, and lenders’ practices with regard to underwriting. The Bureau is also interested in learning whether these loans keep borrowers in long-term debt with a structure where borrowers pay down little to no principal for an extraordinarily long period.
- Concerns about risky practices not covered: The Bureau seeks to learn more about practices that can impact borrowers’ ability to pay back their debt. This includes methods lenders may use to seize borrowers’ wages, funds, vehicles, or other forms of personal property in a way that could pose consumer protection concerns. The Bureau is also interested in learning more about the sales and marketing practices of credit insurance, debt suspension or debt cancellation agreements, and other add-on products. Other practices subject to the inquiry include loan churning, default interest rates, teaser rates, prepayment penalties, and late-payment penalties.
Comments are due on October 14, 2016.
The request for information is here.
