Consumer Financial Protection Bureau v. Burlington Financial Group

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, also known as the CFPB, is a government agency responsible for enforcing laws that protect consumers.

The CFPB sued Burlington Financial Group, LLC, Richard W. Burnham, Sang Yi, and Katherine Ray Burnham (collectively “Burlington Financial Group”). Other entities that were not named defendants but were involved in this matter include BFG LLC, Clearing Solutions, FPCS, and Flying Point Financial LLC. The Bureau alleged that Burlington and its principals charged advance fees for debt-relief and credit-repair services in violation of the Telemarketing Sales Rule (TSR) and engaged in deceptive acts or practices to market and sell Burlington’s services in violation of the TSR and Consumer Financial Protection Act of 2010.

Affected consumers paid advance fees or excessive fees to Burlington Financial Group. If you were a Burlington Financial Group customer between January 1, 2016, and June 29, 2021, you might receive money from the legal settlement.

Eligible consumers include all consumers who paid Burlington Financial Group fees on or after January 1, 2016, through June 29, 2021.

Initial payments to eligible consumers were mailed in May 2023. The checks eligible consumers received represented a refund of the illegal fees that Burlington Financial Group charged them.

You had the option to file a claim if you believed you were eligible for a refund and did not receive a payment, or if the check you received did not represent a full refund of fees paid. In order to file a claim, you must have provided proof of all fees you paid to Burlington Financial Group, including fees already refunded to you.

The deadline to submit a claim form was August 3, 2023, and we are no longer accepting claims.

Receiving a refund from the CFPB does not prevent you from pursuing other legal claims, if any, against any individual or entity named in the CFPB’s lawsuit. Neither the third-party administrator nor CFPB can give you individual legal advice. For legal advice for your situation, contact an attorney.

The letter detailed reasons we were unable to refund all payments you made to the Defendant, Burlington Financial Group, or someone acting on their behalf. The Response Deadline was printed on the letter. The deadline to provide additional information has passed and supporting documentation is no longer being accepted.

Some additional information, including the final court order, is available on the Important Documents page of this website or by visiting the CFPB websites at www.cfpb.gov/payments/Burlington or visit www.consumerfinance.gov and enter “Burlington Financial” into the search box.

The CFPB stands for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010 established the CFPB.

Congress established the CFPB to protect consumers by carrying out federal consumer financial laws. Among other things, the CFPB:

• Writes rules, supervises companies, and enforces federal consumer financial protection laws
• Restricts unfair, deceptive, or abusive acts or practices
• Takes consumer complaints
• Promotes financial education
• Researches consumer behavior
• Monitors financial markets for new risks to consumers
• Enforces laws that outlaw discrimination and other unfair treatment in consumer finance

To learn more, visit www.consumerfinance.gov.

Epiq Class Action & Claims Solutions is a Third-Party Administrator. CFPB contracted with Epiq to assist in processing refund payments, reviewing claims, answering questions about this case, and administering this website

No, this is not a scam. This is a legitimate program. If you wish, Epiq can verify the information on your check and confirm if your check contains a valid tracking number. You can reach Epiq at 1-800-507-6157 and follow prompts to speak with a representative.

Additionally, you can verify that Epiq is contracted with the CFPB by calling the CFPB directly at 1-855-411-2372 or visiting the CFPB website at: www.cfpb.gov/payments/Burlington.

To learn more about the CFPB and other CFPB matters, please visit www.consumerfinance.gov. If you enter “Burlington Financial” into the search box, you can read CFPB announcements related to this case.

Neither the CFPB nor Epiq will ever require you to pay any fees before or after cashing checks issued by CFPB. If someone asks you to pay them money before or after cashing a check, it could be a scam. Please contact us right away if this happens to you or if you have other questions about this matter.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, or CFPB, never requires consumers to pay money or provide additional information before consumers can cash refund checks issued by CFPB.

All of Epiq’s costs for this program are paid separately by CFPB. Consumers are never charged either directly or indirectly for Epiq’s services as Third-Party Administrator.

If anyone contends they can get you a refund but asks you for money, it could be a scam. Please contact Epiq right away if this happens to you or if you have other questions about this matter.

If Epiq mailed you a Claim Form or letter saying information was missing from your claim, you may be asked to provide additional information about payments you made to Burlington Financial Group or someone acting on their behalf.

You may contact Epiq in writing at:

CFPB v. Burlington Financial Group
Civil Penalty Fund Third-Party Administrator
P.O. Box 4274
Portland, OR 97208-4274

Or by emailing burlington_info@cfpbconsumerprotection.org.

Do not send any information to the CFPB.

Please note that information you submit is treated in accordance with the Privacy Act. The Privacy Act covers ways in which your information might be shared for state or Federal government purposes. You can view the Privacy Act in FAQ 12.

The information requested is being collected to determine your eligibility for a refund from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) to compensate you for harm suffered from a violation of Federal consumer financial laws.

Identifying information collected may be used by and disclosed to employees, contractors, agents, and others authorized by the CFPB to receive this information to assist in related activities. It may also be disclosed:

• to a court, magistrate, or administrative tribunal in the course of a proceeding;
• for enforcement, statutory, and regulatory purposes;
• to another federal or state agency or regulatory authority;
• to a member of Congress; to the Department of Justice, a court, an adjudicative body or administrative tribunal, or a party in litigation; and
• pursuant to the CFPB’s published Privacy Act system of records notice, CFPB.025 – Civil Penalty Fund and Bureau-Administered Redress Program Records.

The collection of this information is authorized by Pub. L. 111-203, Title X, Sections 1017(d) (Civil Penalty Fund) and/or 1055(a) (Redress), codified at 12 U.S.C. §§ 5497(d), 5565(a).

You are not required to submit or provide any identifying information; however, we may not be able to process your request unless you allow us to collect this information from you.