From: JDSupra Business Advisor
Elizabeth Bohn | Carlton Fields Jorden Burt
Dodd-Frank gives the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) the power to enforce and implement federal consumer financial protection laws, including home mortgage and other consumer credit regulations, plus powerful tools to investigate potential violations of those laws. These tools include informal requests for information as part of its examination and supervisory functions, subpoenas for testimony or documents, and the civil investigative demand (CID).
Before initiating any proceeding under a federal consumer financial law, Dodd-Frank authorizes the CFPB to serve a written CID whenever it has “reason to believe” that “any person may be in possession of information relevant to a violation.” The CID, which may require the person to produce documents, file written reports, answer questions, furnish materials, or provide testimony, must identify the conduct constituting the alleged violation and applicable law, describe the information requested in sufficient detail to allow it to be fairly identified, and provide a reasonable period of time for the information to be submitted. Within 10 days of receipt, CID recipients are required to meet and confer with the Bureau investigator to discuss and try to resolve any compliance issues.