| Our experts translate complex financial data and analysis into compelling testimony that drives results in litigation and regulatory enforcement matters. Collaborating closely with legal counsel, our cross-functional team of consumer finance professionals and affiliated experts helps clients mitigate litigation risks and navigate regulatory scrutiny in matters involving mortgages, credit cards, loans, FinTech products, and credit reporting and collection practices. | We tailor our financial analysis and insights to each case, helping clients achieve favorable outcomes in high-stakes matters. Our experience includes cases with allegations related to consumer deception and harm, algorithmic bias and discrimination, fair lending, credit scoring and reporting, hidden fees, and pricing-related claims. Our professionals and affiliated experts lead the way on emerging consumer finance and consumer behavior issues including interface-related claims such as dark patterns, alternative lending products, subscription auto-renewals, and investment decisions including cash sweep programs. |
Featured Practice Experts
We work with prominent expert witnesses, including leading academics, former regulators, and industry specialists, who bring exceptional credibility and experience to our clients’ cases. Our analyses and expert witness testimony have been cited favorably in numerous trial verdicts and summary judgment decisions.
Andrea L. Eisfeldt
Laurence D. and Lori W. Fink Endowed Chair in Finance,
Professor of Finance,
UCLA Anderson School of Management,
University of California, Los Angeles
Eesha Sharma
Associate Professor of Marketing,
Fowler College of Business,
San Diego State University
Ronald T. Wilcox
NewMarket Corporation Professor of Business Administration,
Darden School of Business,
University of Virginia
Manuel Adelino
Carey Family Distinguished Professor of Business Administration,
Fuqua School of Business,
Duke University
Mark J. Garmaise
Professor of Finance,
Joel Fried Chair in Applied Finance,
UCLA Anderson School of Management,
University of California, Los Angeles
Consumer Finance Capabilities
Since our inception, we have guided clients in class actions and other civil litigations at every stage. Our extensive experience spans from shaping early case strategies to achieving results at the class certification and merits stages, summary judgment, and trial. Our team regularly handles consumer finance litigation matters that include claims related to:
- Banking industry customs and practices
- Cash sweep programs
- Partitioned (“drip”) pricing
- Fair lending and Fair Housing Act
- Junk fees and hidden fees
- Mortgage lending litigation including appraisal bias
- Overdraft fees
- Solar financing and lending
We deliver pragmatic, data-driven assessments of damages and liability to address these allegations. Our affiliated experts testify on consumer behavior and financial decision-making, analyzing consumer response to financial risk, the impact of loss aversion, and the effects of personal attributes on consumer choices. We design and implement consumer surveys and identify potential biases in survey methodologies.
Representative Matters
- In a class action involving a leading financial institution, our experts assessed whether the defendant had discriminated against minority borrowers in its mortgage lending practices. A federal circuit court affirmed a lower court’s order denying class certification.
- We evaluated plaintiffs’ claims of price fixing in the bank credit card industry. We examined market definition issues as well as the economics of the pricing of credit card services. Our findings helped to demonstrate that the defendants’ pricing practices were inconsistent with the plaintiffs’ allegations.
- In a class action involving a brokerage company, the plaintiffs alleged that they had experienced delays in accessing the brokerage system and executing trades. Our team analyzed these claims and concluded that it would be impossible to determine on a class-wide basis whether the plaintiffs had suffered damages. The court denied class certification.
When consumer finance firms come under scrutiny from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), state attorneys general, or other agencies, they turn to Cornerstone Research professionals and experts to provide rigorous, defensible analysis. We assist in responding to alleged violations of various U.S. statutes:
- Electronic Funds Transfer Act (EFTA) and Regulation E (Reg E)
- Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA)
- Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA)
- Right to Financial Privacy Act (RFPA)
- Telemarketing and Consumer Fraud and Abuse Prevention Act (TCFAPA)
- Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA)
- Truth in Lending Act (TILA) and Regulation Z (Reg Z)
- Unfair, deceptive, and/or abusive practices (UDAAP)
Our consultants support testifying experts on issues arising from the use of technology in lending and the growth of innovative consumer credit products. Backed by the firm’s Data Science Center, a leader in innovative AI-driven analysis, we collaborate with counsel to deliver timely analysis to help clients mitigate regulatory and litigation risks on a variety of topics:
- Algorithmic modeling
- Alternative credit products and underwriting
- Buy now, pay later
- Digital assets and FinTech products
- Earned wage access (EWA) products
- Payment platforms and networks
- Mobile and app-based financial products and services
Representative Matters:
- We evaluated how existing consumer finance regulation applies to new platforms and how borrowers interact with developing technology for loan products
- Our team analyzed financial “robo-advisors” and how these automated investment strategies perform relative to alternative portfolios under different risk-return scenarios
Our Data Science Center and Applied Research Center bridge academic theory with real-world solutions, equipping case teams with advanced AI-driven analysis. We accelerate document review, automate code generation, and conduct in-depth, exploratory research through automated workflows. We excel at tackling large-scale data challenges, including financial transaction records (e.g., credit card data), consumer credit files, consumer complaints, chat logs, and detailed borrower-level repayment histories over the life of a loan. Leveraging predictive analytics and industry-specific expertise, we deliver analyses faster, with greater precision, and deeper insight than traditional methods.
Our professionals and affiliated experts work across industries, making them deeply knowledgeable about the specific issues that arise in many sectors:
- Banking & Financial Products and Services
– Automotive loans
– Brokerage and investment accounts
– Checking and savings accounts
– Credit cards
– Credit scoring
– Microfinance
– Mortgages
– Personal loans
– Solar loans
– Student loans
- Compliance & Risk Management
- FinTech
- Insurance
Featured Cases
Featured Insights
Selected Professionals
Our professionals contribute expertise in economics, finance, accounting, and marketing, as well as business acumen, familiarity with the litigation process, and a commitment to provide outstanding support.
- Ashish A. Pradhan
Ashish A. Pradhan
Vice President
- Lindsay Schick
Lindsay Schick
Principal
How can we help you?
For more information or assistance with a specific matter, please contact us.