Daily Digest - February 3, 2025

🎉 🎂 Happy Birthday wishes to: Amanda Gilbert of Palinode and Rob Kennedy of Nuvei. Happy belated Birthday to: Debra Ciskey of ARM Compliance Business Solutions (February 2) and Brett Soldevila of EquiPro Holdings (February 1). 🥳🎈

🎙️ WANTED: WEBINAR PANELISTS AND MODERATORS 📆

Do you watch my webinars like you watch cooking shows and sports on TV, saying that you could do better? 😁 In all seriousness, Cara Cotter says it best in her profile below when asked what she likes most about the industry: The collaboration. People “… are willing to share information, discuss challenging topics, and work together to provide training …” It is in that spirit that I am inviting everyone to take a look at the upcoming webinar schedule February and let me know if there are any topics that you would like to share, discuss, and work together. Don’t be shy. Click here to take a look at the list.

Chopra Out at CFPB

• President Donald Trump fired Rohit Chopra, the director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau on Saturday. This marks the first time a president has officially dismissed the head of the CFPB, following a 2020 Supreme Court ruling that gave presidents the power to remove directors at will. Chopra’s abrupt departure comes at a time of increasing tensions between the bureau and the financial industry, especially over regulations concerning fees and consumer protections.

• More details here.

A MESSAGE FROM TCN

TODAY’S WEBINAR

UPCOMING WEBINARS

Judge Grants Defendant’s Motion to Set Aside Default Judgment in FDCPA Case

• A District Court judge in California has denied a plaintiff’s motion for default judgment and granted a defendant’s motion to set aside default in a Fair Debt Collection Practices Act case, ruling that the defendant was not properly served and had demonstrated a meritorious defense. Judge M. James Lorenz of the District Court for the Southern District of California found that the defendant did not engage in culpable conduct, had a valid defense, and that allowing the case to proceed would not prejudice the plaintiff.

• More details here.

Wyoming Lawmakers Vote Against Medical Debt Credit Reporting Bill

• State lawmakers in Wyoming have struck down a bill that would have prohibited the inclusion of medical debt on consumers’ credit reports, acknowledging many of the exact arguments that have been used elsewhere in opposition to such proposals.

• More details here.

Google Tests AI-Powered Feature to Call Businesses on Your Behalf

• Google is testing a new AI-driven feature designed to streamline how consumers interact with local businesses. The “Ask for Me” tool, currently in the experimental phase, allows users to request services from businesses without having to make a direct phone call. Instead, the AI performs the task for you, gathering details about pricing and availability, and summarizing the findings.

• More details here.

Compliance Digest - February 3

• Seven industry compliance experts -- Loraine Lyons, Monica Littman, Joann Needleman, Rick Perr, Mitch Williamson, Virginia Bell Flynn, and Jonathan Robbin make sure you know everything you need to know about important legal updates, what's going on at the CFPB and the New York Department of Financial Services, and the White House in this week's Compliance Digest.

• More details here 

• This series is sponsored by Bedard Law Group

WORTH NOTING: A breakdown of the best cell phone plans ... All the red carpet looks from last night's Grammy Awards ... Verizon is wiping out $10 million in debts for victims of Hurricane Helene ... Why you absolutely need to use your vacation days every year ... How artificial intelligence is changing the way you get a job ... What you need to know about tariffs and a brewing trade war ... What's new on the streaming platforms in February ... What the parents of highly successful kids do to set them up early in life.

Music Monday, part I

Music Monday, Part II

The Daily Digest is sponsored by TCN’s C3 User Conference