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CFPB 'Will Continue Operations' As Gov't Shutdown Hits

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has told its staff to expect business as usual amid the government shutdown that began Wednesday, assuring them that operations, pay and benefits will continue uninterrupted, according to an internal email obtained by Law360.
January 07, 2026
10th Circ. Halts Kan. Bank's $20M FDIC Appeal For Settlement

The Tenth Circuit will hold off on hearing a small Kansas bank's push to challenge a $20 million anti-money laundering enforcement proceeding from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. after the two sides said Wednesday that they have reached a settlement.
January 07, 2026
Russia, Ukraine Bank Dispute Issue-Preclusion Language

Russia and a Ukrainian bank, in their yearslong dispute over enforcement of a $1.1 billion arbitral award, are now butting heads over phrasing a D.C. federal judge should use to ask the United States when a U.S. court should stop parties from relitigating an issue.
January 07, 2026
JPMorgan Unit To Use AI Tool Over Proxy Advisory Firms

JPMorgan Chase's asset management arm has eliminated its reliance on outside advisory firms for data collection and proxy voting recommendations and will instead use an in-house, artificial intelligence-powered tool to aggregate and analyze data from U.S. corporate meetings.
January 07, 2026
Trump Family-Tied Stablecoin Co. Seeks Bank Charter

The Trump family-tied crypto company World Liberty Financial said Wednesday that it's filed an application with the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency to become a national trust bank as it looks to expand its stablecoin business, drawing the ire of one lawmaker, who called the application a conflict of interest.
January 07, 2026
Calif. Mortgage Co. Beats Whistleblower Suit Over PPP Loans

A residential mortgage lender has shed a False Claims Act suit alleging it obtained Paycheck Protection Program loans it was ineligible for, though a California federal judge gave the would-be whistleblower a chance to revise its claims.
January 07, 2026
2 European Fintechs Seek OCC Bank Charters

Two European fintechs are seeking sign-offs from the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency to set up U.S. banks, including a firm planning to issue its own stablecoin.
January 07, 2026
Tricolor Ex-CEO Must Take Questions At Creditor Meeting

A Texas bankruptcy judge on Wednesday said the former chief executive of bankrupt subprime car loan lender Tricolor Holdings will have to appear at a creditor meeting despite his argument that he won't be able to answer questions without incriminating himself in his fraud trial.
January 07, 2026
Ex-TD Bank Employee Cops To Aiding Money Laundering

A former TD Bank assistant store manager has copped to a single money laundering conspiracy charge in connection with New Jersey federal prosecutors' claims that he took bribes to aid a money laundering network that ultimately moved $474 million through the bank.
January 07, 2026
First Brands' Ex-Execs Can Tap Only Some D&O Coverage

A Texas bankruptcy judge Wednesday allowed former First Brands executives to access about half of the company's directors and officers insurance to help pay for their legal fees as they face misconduct claims, ruling that the remainder of the proceeds are property of the car parts maker's bankruptcy estate.
January 07, 2026
Incora Minority Noteholders To Appeal 'Uptier' Loss

Minority noteholders that lost collateral rights in a 2022 financing deal at aircraft parts supplier Incora will appeal a decision by a Texas federal judge that had upheld the debt exchange, according to a notice filed Tuesday.
January 07, 2026
Block Inc., Dorsey Must Face Suits Over Compliance Claims

A California federal judge has ruled that the parent company of Square and Cash App, Block Inc., and its officers and directors must face claims of compliance failures in a class action and separate derivative suit, finding, among other things, that the derivative suit adequately pleads that Block's board failed to properly oversee the company's compliance program.
January 07, 2026
Reckless Conduct Can Be Willful FBAR Failure, 2nd Circ. Says

The standard for willful failure to report foreign bank accounts includes reckless conduct, and a 6% late payment penalty is mandatory for a couple who neglected fines for stashing millions in an undisclosed Swiss account, the Second Circuit said Wednesday, upholding a lower court's judgment.
January 07, 2026
KeyBank Will Pay $7.7M To Resolve Branch Manager's Fraud

KeyBank National Association has agreed to pay more than $7.7 million to settle allegations it violated the False Claims Act by submitting forgiveness requests for dozens of Paycheck Protection Program loans that one of its branch managers helped fraudulently obtain, federal prosecutors announced Wednesday.
January 07, 2026
Jones Day Adds Ex-SEC Deputy Enforcement Director In Ga.

Jones Day has added to its Atlanta investigations and white collar defense practice a former deputy enforcement director of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, the firm announced on Wednesday.
January 07, 2026
Binance Taps Ex-SEC, Coinbase Atty To Head Global Litigation

Binance has brought on a former senior Coinbase lawyer and veteran U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission enforcement attorney to serve as its global head of litigation.
January 07, 2026
BNP Can't Undo $21M Verdict In Sudan Refugee Case

A Manhattan federal judge granted final judgment Wednesday against BNP Paribas for its alleged role bankrolling atrocities against plaintiffs who fled Sudan amid human rights abuses, declining to trim a $21 million bellwether verdict.
January 07, 2026
Kirkland-Led Warburg Pincus Clinches $3B Financial Fund

Kirkland & Ellis LLP-advised private equity giant Warburg Pincus announced Wednesday it closed its third financial sector fund with $3 billion in tow.
January 06, 2026
Fed Circ. Skeptical Of Ex-Wells Fargo Rep's Whistleblower Suit

A panel of Federal Circuit judges Tuesday appeared skeptical of a purported whistleblower's appeal in her case alleging she is entitled to a portion of Wells Fargo's more than $2 billion payout over claims the bank misled investors about its residential mortgage-backed securities ahead of the financial crisis.
January 06, 2026
Law Clerk Conflict Talk Can't Get Javice Retrial, Feds Say

Charlie Javice, the founder of defunct student loan startup Frank, should not get a new trial over charges that she defrauded JPMorgan, which acquired her company, simply because two clerks who worked on the trial had accepted offers from a law firm involved in the litigation, federal prosecutors have argued.
January 06, 2026
Vectra Bank Claims Lending Co. Owes $4.5M

Vectra Bank has accused a Colorado-based commercial finance company and two related business entities in state court of defaulting on a $6.5 million loan and said they now owe the bank more than $4.5 million.
January 06, 2026
BofA Faces Customer Suit Over Post-Jan. 6 'Surveillance'

Bank of America was hit with a putative class action accusing it of financial privacy violations tied to the aftermath of the Jan. 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol attack, alleging the bank aggressively mined and illegally shared customer data with authorities looking for leads.
January 06, 2026
Envestnet Trade Secrets Suit Cleared For Trial

A Delaware federal judge has cleared the way for a long-running fintech trade secrets case to proceed toward trial, overruling defense objections to spoliation findings and holding that a jury may infer that destroyed electronic evidence would have been unfavorable to Envestnet Inc. and its former subsidiary Yodlee Inc.
January 06, 2026
5th Circ. Mulls If ERISA Claims Are Subject To Arbitration Clause

A Fifth Circuit panel wanted a former employee at International Bancshares Corp. to explain how his benefits class action could evade an arbitration clause adopted by the plan that he never consented to, saying Tuesday that other courts seemingly have not adopted a theory that would allow that.
January 06, 2026
PrimaLend Gets OK For Ch. 11 Plan Vote, Bid Procedures

Subprime lender PrimaLend Capital Partners LP on Tuesday received a Texas bankruptcy judge's approval of its request to take votes on a Chapter 11 plan and bidding procedures for an asset sale.
January 06, 2026
4th Circ. Asked To Revive Experian Credit Investigation Suit

Experian Information Solutions Inc. violated its statutory duty by failing to reinvestigate and later approving a clearly erroneous credit report that resulted in a refused mortgage application, the report's subject told the Fourth Circuit in an attempt to revive his class action lawsuit.

Expert Analysis

Series

Muay Thai Makes Me A Better Lawyer

Muay Thai kickboxing has taught me that in order to win, one must stick to one's game plan and adapt under pressure, just as when facing challenges by opposing counsel or judges, says Mark Schork at Feldman Shepherd.
Series

Law School's Missed Lessons: Intentional Career-Building

A successful legal career is built through intention: understanding expectations, assessing strengths honestly and proactively seeking opportunities to grow and cultivating relationships that support your development, say Erika Drous and Hillary Mann at Morrison Foerster.
State AG Enforcement During CFPB Gap Predicts 2026 Trends

State attorneys general responded to the decrease in Consumer Financial Protection Bureau enforcement in 2025 by stepping in to regulate consumer finance more than ever before, and the trends in rebooting CFPB investigations, cracking down on ESG and DEI initiatives, and fighting financial exploitation of homeowners will likely extend into 2026, say attorneys at Cozen O'Connor.
Series

A Day In The In-House Life: Chime GC Talks Pathfinding

On a recent Tuesday in the office, Chime's general counsel Adam Frankel shares his typical work day, tackling everything from strategically guiding product launches and testing AI tools to mastering the perfect latte and making time for extracurricular interests.
US Sanctions Targeting Russia's Oil Giants Heighten Biz Risks

Businesses operating in the energy sector, both in and outside the U.S., should review their operations for any links to Russian oil companies and their subsidiaries recently targeted by U.S. sanctions, to avoid unexpected reputational and financial risk, and even secondary sanctions, say authors at Blank Rome.
Expect A New Normal In Commercial Real Estate This Year

Even amid office vacancies and a wave of loan maturities, the commercial real estate market isn't as volatile as one might expect heading into 2026, but market stress is still uniquely intersecting with broader business challenges, creating new opportunities for corporate counsel and other practitioners beyond real estate, says Mark Bell at Stinson.
2nd Circ. Ruling Shows Procedural Perils Of Civil Forfeiture

The Second Circuit’s recent U.S. v. Ross decision, partially denying the return of an attorney's seized funds based on rigid standing requirements, underscores the unforgiving technical complexities of civil asset forfeiture law, and provides several lessons for practitioners, says Elisha Kobre at Sheppard Mullin.
Preparing For Congressional Investigations In A Midterm Year

2026 will be a consequential year for congressional oversight as the upcoming midterm elections may yield bolder investigations and more aggressive state attorneys general coalitions, so companies should consider adopting risk management measures to get ahead of potential changes, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.
How Bank M&A Prospects Brightened In 2025

Even with less-than-ideal macroeconomic conditions in 2025, federal banking regulators' shift away from procedural concerns to focus more on core financial risks boosted M&A in several key ways, including shorter review timelines and increased interest in de novo charters, say attorneys at Arnold & Porter.
3 Securities Litigation Trends To Watch In 2026

Pending federal appellate cases suggest that 2026 will be a significant year for securities litigation, with long-standing debates about class certification, new questions about the risks and value of artificial intelligence features, and private plaintiffs' growing role in cryptocurrency enforcement likely to be major themes, say attorneys at Willkie.
Funding Haze And Deregulatory Pursuits: The CFPB In 2026

In 2025, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau did not seek additional funding from the Federal Reserve and unwound the legacy of former bureau leadership, and this year will bring further efforts to rescind or rewrite bureau regulations, as well as a changed tone to supervision efforts, say attorneys at Covington.
4 Developments That Defined The 2025 Ethics Landscape

The legal profession spent 2025 at the edge of its ethical comfort zone as courts, firms and regulators confronted how fast-moving technologies and new business models collide with long-standing professional duties, signaling that the profession is entering a period of sustained disruption that will continue into 2026, says Hilary Gerzhoy at HWG Law.
Navigating AI In The Legal Industry

As artificial intelligence becomes an increasingly integral part of legal practice, Law360 guest commentary this year examined evolving ethical obligations, how the plaintiffs bar is using AI to level the playing field against corporate defense teams, and the attendant risks of adoption.
Regulatory Rollback And Lingering Limbo: The CFPB In 2025

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has implemented significant changes since President Donald Trump took office in January, including dismissing actions with prejudice, withdrawing guidance and rescinding rules, casting the bureau in uncertain light heading into 2026, say attorneys at Mayer Brown.
2025 Calif. Banking Oversight Centered On Consumer Issues

The combination of statutory reform, registration mandates and enforcement activity in 2025 signals that California's financial regulatory landscape is focused on consumer protection, particularly in the areas of crypto kiosk fee practices, earned wage access providers and elder fraud, say attorneys at Ropes & Gray.