All in Regulatory Update

On May 31, 2024, the CFPB sued student loan servicer Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency (PHEAA), which does business as American Education Services (AES), for illegally collecting on student loans that have been discharged in bankruptcy and sending false information about consumers to credit reporting companies. The CFPB seeks to stop PHEAA’s illegal conduct and fine the company for its illegal practices.

On May 22, 2024,  the FDIC  published its 2024 Risk Review which summarizes conditions in the U.S. economy, financial markets, and banking industry. According to the FDIC, economic conditions remained strong in 2023, and financial market conditions improved toward the end of the year. In addition, the banking industry demonstrated resilience after a period of stress in early 2023 as full-year net income remained high, overall asset quality metrics were favorable, and liquidity stabilized.

On May 20, 2024, FinCEN announced a new initiative to combat the illicit trafficking of fentanyl into the United States as part of the Treasury Department’s Counter-Fentanyl Strike Force and in partnership with IRS Criminal Investigation (CI). The new FinCEN Exchange series, titled “Promoting Regional Outreach to Educate Communities on the Threat of Fentanyl” (or PROTECT), will be held through the remainder of 2024 in U.S. cities that are highly impacted by the opioid epidemic.