Conference Goals, Topics and Materials

Course Goals

The goal of The NorthLegal Regulatory Conference is to provide participants with useable, specific, practical information about laws that affect the consumer finance industry.

In order to do that effectively, each year conference speakers and participants will focus on one or two specific laws or regulations, and will discuss those laws or regulations in detail.  Participants should leave the conference with information that will help them verify that your credit union is in compliance with -- and to teach others at the credit union about -- those laws and regulations.

At the September 2008 NorthLegal Regulatory Conference, participants will learn about the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act and, separately, about federal and common law privacy laws.  More than looking at a few PowerPoint slides about the laws themselves, participants will look at the actual laws and regulations and at the court decisions that apply and interpret those laws and regulations, and will discuss how those laws, regulations, and court decisions affect how the credit union operates on an every day basis.

Topics to Be Covered Conference participants will discuss the following subjects, and others: The Fair Credit Reporting Act • How is the Fair Credit Reporting Act different today than it was a few yeas ago, before the "FACT Act" became law? • What are the differences between the FCRA rules governing creditors, and the FCRA rules governing "consumer reporting agencies?"  Why should you care?  What common mistakes do consumer financial institutions or their business partners make that can cause them to be considered "consumer reporting agencies" in they eyes of the law, and that can obligate them to follow the regulations directed toward consumer reporting agencies? • What "identity theft" protections are now part of the FCRA? • What are "Red Flag Warnings?"  What related policies and procedures must your credit union have in place by November 1, 2008? (Participants will discuss sample policies, and look for ways to improve the polices their credit unions have already drafted. • What privacy protections are now part of the FCRA? • What new duties do consumer creditors have when a borrower objects that an entry on a consumer report is inaccurate? • How should a consumer lender report a borrower who has filed bankruptcy to consumer reporting agencies?  Why are some borrowers' attorneys winning lawsuits against creditors for violation of these rules? Member and Employee Privacy Issues • What, specifically, does the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act require credit unions and other consumer lenders to do in order to give their members and customers a voice in the protection of their personal information? • Which consumers are protected by the GLBA? Are the policies and procedures your credit union has in place sufficient to withstand scrutiny by an examiner?   By a judge in litigation proceedings? • What other federal laws -- apart from the GLBA -- must credit unions and other financial institutions understand and comply with? • What are the legally recognized "privacy torts," and why do you care? • Do employees have the right to expect their private information and private work areas will be kept private?  What is a "zone of privacy," and have you created one? • May a supervisor listen in on a telephone conversation or a meeting without the employee or member being informed? Is written consent required? • May a credit union record telephonic conversations without the consent of the person or persons on the telephone call?  Is written consent required?  Is it sufficient to make an announcement at the beginning of a telephone call saying that the call may be recorded?

Speakers The primary speaker for the Conference is Eric North. Eric is a practicing attorney who has devoted most of his practice to representing the interests of credit unions for more than twenty years.  As a lawyer, Eric helps credit unions prepare policies and procedures, adopt practices, and negotiate disputes, in order to avoid litigation, but also represents credit unions in litigation in California and federal courts when litigation becomes necessary. In addition to practicing law, Eric dedicates a significant portion of his time each year to the training of hundreds of credit union professionals throughout the United States on behalf of dozens of state credit union leagues and CUNA, through monthly NorthLegal Webinars, and through the NorthLegal Bankruptcy Conference. Conference guest speakers have not yet been scheduled.  Watch this site for further details.

Conference Materials

Conference participants will receive a binder with extensive handout materials -- not just
copies of PowerPoint slides.  These materials are not sold separately from the conference.

What participants say about other programs by Eric North