CFBP Enforcement Lawyer Joins Sidley

Sidley Austin LLP is pleased to announce that Maria B. Earley, formerly with the Office of Enforcement at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), has joined the firm’s Banking and Financial Services practice as counsel. Ms. Earley will reside in Sidley’s D.C. office.

At the CFPB, Ms. Earley led enforcement matters involving a variety of federal consumer financial laws, including the Truth in Lending Act, the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act, the Fair Debt Collections Practices Act, the Fair Credit Reporting Act and the Electronic Fund Transfer Act. Ms. Earley’s work at the CFPB included developing emerging legal theories regarding the scope and application of the CFPB’s Unfair, Deceptive and Abusive Acts and Practices authority in connection with payday lending, auto finance, add-on products and appraisal independence.

Prior to joining the CFPB in 2011, Ms. Earley was a lawyer with another firm, where she specialized in complex civil litigation, with a focus on the defense of financial institutions in the consumer financial services industry. Ms. Earley’s extensive experience in both the private and public sectors provides her with important perspectives for representing clients facing enforcement or compliance matters with respect to the CFPB and other regulatory agencies.