Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection October 8, 2014 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection (Bureau or CFPB) proposes to amend the regulation defining larger participants of certain consumer financial product and service markets by adding a new section to define larger participants of a market for automobile financing. The new section would define a market that includes grants of credit for the purchase of an automobile, refinancings of such credit obligations, and purchases or acquisitions of such credit obligations (including refinancings). It would also include automobile leases and purchases or acquisitions of such automobile lease agreements. The Bureau is proposing this rule pursuant to its authority, under the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (Dodd-Frank Act), to supervise certain nonbank covered persons for compliance with Federal consumer financial law and for other purposes. The Bureau has the authority to supervise nonbank covered persons of all sizes in the residential mortgage, private education lending, and payday lending markets. In addition, the Bureau has the authority to supervise nonbank ``larger participant[s]'' of markets for other consumer financial products or services, as the Bureau defines by rule. The proposal (Proposed Rule) would identify a market for automobile financing and define as larger participants of this market certain nonbank covered persons that would be subject to the Bureau's supervisory authority. The Proposed Rule would also define certain automobile leases as a ``financial product or service'' under section 1002(15)(A)(xi)(II) of the Dodd-Frank Act. Finally, the Proposed Rule would make certain technical corrections to existing larger-participant rules.