myNAFSA Applauds CFPB Enforcement Action against Fraudulent Lending Practices by CashCall
-Executive Director of Native American Financial Services Association (NAFSA) Promotes Lending Best Practices, Sovereign Tribal Law and Regulation- Media Contact: Philip Elwood, 202-973-5310 WASHINGTON, December 16, 2013 – Following a decision by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) to take enforcement actions against CashCall and WS Funding – an online lender which does not operate under tribal law or abide by tribal regulatory bodies and is not wholly-owned by a federally-recognized tribe,Barry Brandon, Executive...
National Congress of American Indians Joins NAFSA’s Fight to Protect Sovereign Rights
WASHINGTON (October 22, 2013) — Following repeated attacks on the lending businesses owned, operated, and regulated by sovereign Native American tribes, the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) is today joining the fight led by the Native American Financial Services Association (NAFSA) to empower tribal enterprises and protect sovereign rights. NCAI, established in 1944, is the oldest and largest national organization of American Indian and Alaska Native tribal governments. This action reinforces the long history of federal...
read moreGovernor George Rivera, Native American Leader, Joins NAFSA Board of Directors to Advance Tribal Economic Development through Online Lending
WASHINGTON (October 7, 2013) – As the Native American Financial Services Association (NAFSA) continues fighting to preserve tribes’ sovereign rights through strong businesses that are adequately regulated by tribal entities, NAFSA is pleased to announce the addition of Governor George Rivera, noted Native American Leader, to its board of directors. Rivera currently serves as Governor of the Pueblo of Pojoaque in northern New Mexico, where he serves as a political leader, cultural preservationist, artist, and art instructor,...
read moreCourt Agrees: New York State Department of Financial Services Perpetuating Irreparable Harm to Indian Country
WASHINGTON (October 1, 2013) — After the Hon. Richard J. Sullivan of the U.S. District Court, Southern District ofNew York denied a preliminary injunction in The Otoe-Missouria Tribe of Indians, et al. v. New York State Department of Financial Services, et al., effectively allowing the state of New York to overstep its jurisdiction onto Native American sovereign territories, Barry Brandon, Executive Director of the Native American Financial Services Association (NAFSA), provided the following comment: “Today’s ruling...
read moreNAFSA Looks Forward to Continued Partnership with FDIC
WASHINGTON (September 30, 2013) — NAFSA’s tribal members appreciate the FDIC’s recent guidance to banks and processors which codifies the legality of doing business with online lenders. The Native American Financial Services Association (NAFSA) looks forward to working with the FDIC to ensure that compliance programs keep bad actors out of this market. Since its creation, NAFSA has mandated that all members abide by a strict set of best practices that protect consumers and ensure that their rights are respected. Additionally,...
read moreNAFSA Applauds GPTCA Resolution Supporting Online Lending, Opposing Overreach by State of New York, Reaffirming Tribal Sovereignty
WASHINGTON (September 17, 2013) — Congressional Delegations from Great Plains Region Urged to Take Action and Protect Tribal Rights- As state and federal authorities across the country overstep their legal boundaries and infringe on Native Americans’ status as sovereign entities, tribes are speaking up in support of their rights, including the ability to operate legal, licensed online lending businesses that benefit their tribal governments. This week, the latest Native American group to weigh in was the Great Plains Tribal...
read moreNAFSA Applauds OCC’s Focus on Banking Successes and Opportunities in Native Communities
WASHINGTON (August 30, 2013) – Following the publication of the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency’s (OCC) August 2013 Community Development Investments e-zine, entitled “Extending Credit in Indian Country,” The Native American Financial Services Association (NAFSA) applauded the agency’s focus on showing the banking industry both the opportunities that exist and the successes that have been realized through investments on Native American reservations. The entire issue is devoted to highlighting some of...
read moreTribes Involved in Native American Defense of Sovereign Rights Obtain a Court Order to Expedite the Case
WASHINGTON, DC (August 26, 2013) – In a new development in Otoe-Missouria Tribe, et al. v. N.Y. State Department of Financial Services, et al., where two federally-recognized Native American tribes are suing the Department and its Superintendent Benjamin Lawsky to bar their effort to control the tribes’ consumer lending activities, the Hon. Richard J. Sullivan (United States District Judge for the United States District Court Southern District of New York) has issued an Order to Show Cause that will expedite prosecution of the...
read moreNative American Tribes Launch Legal Action against State of New York in Major Defense of Tribal Sovereignty
WASHINGTON (August 21, 2013) — After recent actions by New York Department of Financial Services (DFS) Administrator Benjamin Lawsky to unlawfully intimidate Native American tribes and the legal and licensed businesses they run, a coalition of Tribes has filed a complaint today with the United States District Court Southern District of New York requesting an injunction against Lawsky’s efforts. The tribes filing the lawsuit are members of the Native American Financial Services Association (NAFSA). “Defendant Lawsky and the...
read moreNAFSA Applauds New York Attorney General Decision to File Suit against Lender Circumventing Tribal Law
WASHINGTON (August 12, 2013) — Following a move by New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman to file suit against Western Sky Loans – an online lender which does not operate under tribal law or abide by tribal regulatory bodies and is not wholly-owned by a federally-recognized tribe, Barry Brandon, Executive Director of the Native American Financial Services Association (NAFSA) today released the following statement: “On behalf of the Native American Financial Services Association (NAFSA), we applaud this lawsuit and its...
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