Company: AFRM
Filing Date: 2025-08-28
Form Type: 10-K
Source: 0001820953-25-000080
Chunk: 27

Company: Affirm Holdings, Inc.
Filing Date: 2025-08-28
Form: 10-K
Item: Item 1
Chunk 27
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, filed a similar lawsuit against the FDIC regarding the FDIC Federal Interest Rate Authority Rule. This lawsuit was decided in favor of the FDIC pursuant to the Northern District of California’s decision in California v. FDIC, 2022 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 22719 (N.D. CA, Feb. 8, 2022), in which the court expressly upheld the validity of the FDIC Federal Interest Rate Authority Rule, distinguishing it from the similar rule issued by the OCC. However, it is uncertain whether these or other state attorneys general will file similar suits with respect to any other rule regarding the permissibility of interest rates by the FDIC, OCC or other regulators. Notably, the FDIC and OCC rules underscore that they do not address the question of whether a bank or insured branch of a foreign bank is a real party in interest with respect to a loan or has an economic interest in the loan under state law, e.g. which entity is the “true lender.” Federal Interest Rate Authority, 85 Fed. Reg. 44146 (July 22, 2020).

Before and after the Federal Interest Rate Authority went into effect, there have also been both private litigation and governmental enforcement actions seeking to recharacterize a lending transaction, claiming that the named lender was not the true lender, and that instead another entity was the true lender or the de facto lender. These claims are traditionally based upon state lending laws, other statutory provisions, or state common law through which a private litigant or governmental agency could seek to license, regulate, or prohibit the activities of the entity they consider the true lender or de facto lender. Any such litigation or enforcement action with respect to a loan facilitated through our platform against us, any successor servicer, prior owners, or subsequent transferees of such loans (including our originating bank partners) could subject them to claims for damages, disgorgement, or other penalties or remedies. On October 27, 2020, under the Trump Administration, the OCC promulgated a final rulemaking setting forth standards for determining the true lender of a loan issued by a national bank. On June 30, 2021, President Biden signed a Congressional Review Act resolution to repeal the OCC's true lender rule, and the OCC may not issue any substantially similar rule without subsequent statutory authorization.

Further, it is unclear whether these rules will be given effect by courts and regulators in a manner that actually mitigates risks relating to state interest rate limits and related risks to