Consumer Protection Insights

Virginia’s HB1022/SB493 amends the Virginia Consumer Protection Act to impose new auto-renewal compliance obligations on businesses serving consumers in the Commonwealth, effective July 1, 2026. Sellers must now offer cancellation mechanisms that mirror sign-up channels in ease and availability, and the previously available good-faith compliance defense has been eliminated.

On May 1, 2026, the CFPB finalized a revised Section 1071 rule under ECOA, narrowing covered institutions, products, and required data points from the 2023 Rule, with a single compliance date of Jan. 1, 2028. Financial institutions may wish to begin assessing coverage status and compliance readiness.

The CFPB’s final amendments to Regulation B reshape fair lending compliance under ECOA, including changes to disparate impact liability, anti-discouragement standards, and SPCP requirements. Lenders may wish to assess the rule’s operational impact while preparing for potential litigation and state-level enforcement risks.

Businesses that offer online contracts with EU consumers should assess whether the withdrawal button requirement applies to them and, if so, initiate implementation and adapt their systems accordingly. Failure to comply with the new requirements by June 19, 2026, may result in cease-and-desist actions under the Unfair Trades Act (UWG) and/or fines of up to

On May 12, 2026, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced the appointment of Rohit Chopra, former director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and former commissioner of the Federal Trade Commission, to lead California’s newly created Business and Consumer Services Agency (BCSA). If confirmed by the California Senate, Chopra will serve as the first secretary of the

On April 28, 2026, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore signed HB 895, the Protection from Predatory Pricing Act, into law. The Act makes Maryland the first state to enact a sector-specific restriction on certain personalized, or “surveillance,” pricing practices in the food retail context. Though this legislation is unprecedented, legislators limited its scope to prevent