House Democrat Wants CFPB to Probe Discrimination in Small Business Loans

Fintech CFPB Cordray ECOA Lending

In a March 15 letter to CFPB Director Richard Cordray, Rep. Emanuel Cleaver (D-Mo.) called upon the Bureau to address potential abuses by FinTech companies that may be engaged in predatory small-business lending.  In so doing, he asked that the Bureau “investigate whether FinTech companies engaged in small business lending are complying with all anti-discrimination laws, including the Equal Credit Opportunity Act.” The letter also seeks responses to three questions: 

• When does the CFPB anticipate finalizing regulation and guidance to fully implement Section 1071 of the ECOA (requiring financial institutions to collect and maintain loan data for women-owned, minority-owned and small business credit applicants)?
• Has the CFPB engaged in any supervisory activities over FinTech small business lenders and, if so, did the CFPB identify any ECOA-related compliance issues?
• Will the CFPB solicit complaints through its consumer complaint portal from consumers, particularly those from communities of color, who feel they have been discriminated against by a FinTech lender offering small business loans (and, if not, how can consumers formally submit a complaint)?