Statistics for March consumer litigation filings are in with the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) again leading the pack in terms of increased litigation filings and the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) not far behind.
Continue Reading March Consumer Litigation Filings: TCPA Cools Off Slightly, FCRA/FDCPA and CFPB Complaints Heat Up
Today, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB or Bureau) released its final rule revising the 2023 small business lending data collection and reporting rule under the Equal Credit Opportunity Act (ECOA) and Regulation B, which implements Section 1071 of the Dodd-Frank Act (2026 Final Rule). The 2026 Final Rule will become effective 60 days after publication in the Federal Register, and the compliance date for initial data collection is January 1, 2028.
Continue Reading CFPB Issues Final Section 1071 Rule: Narrower Scope, Later Compliance Date, and a Leaner Data Collection and Reporting Regime
Recent reporting from the ABA Banking Journal and the American Banker describes a rapidly evolving restructuring of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB or Bureau) under the Trump administration, with significant implications for the agency’s future role and for regulated entities.
Continue Reading CFPB Restructuring Accelerates: Lease Termination and Litigation Attorney Hiring Amid Proposed Deep Staff Cuts
On April 22, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB or Bureau) issued its final rewrite of Subpart A of Regulation B (Reg B) under the Equal Credit Opportunity Act (ECOA), which eliminates disparate impact from enforcement of ECOA, clarifies the prohibition on discouraging prospective applicants, and establishes new restrictions on special purpose credit programs (SPCPs). The Bureau has largely finalized the rule as proposed, with only clarifying edits rather than substantive revisions. Notably, the Bureau did so after receiving approximately 64,500 comments on the proposal from industry, consumer advocates, state attorneys general, and members of Congress. The rule will become effective 90 days after publication in the Federal Register.
Continue Reading CFPB Finalizes Regulation B Subpart A Rule Largely as Proposed
On March 13, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB or Bureau) released its draft Strategic Plan for FY 2026–2030 and accepted public comment through April 17. The plan, required under the Government Performance and Results Act, sets the Bureau’s mission and priorities for the next four years and explicitly aligns the CFPB’s regulatory strategy with President Trump’s pro‑growth, deregulatory agenda.
Continue Reading CFPB’s Draft 2026–2030 Strategic Plan
In this episode of The Consumer Finance Podcast, host Chris Willis examines signs that the CFPB is reactivating its supervisory and enforcement functions after a period of relative inactivity. The discussion notes reports that the CFPB plans to restart supervisory exams — likely remote, less burdensome, and focused on large banks — and raises questions about whether those exams will address debanking, despite the CFPB’s limited jurisdiction over nonconsumer banking relationships. The conversation also underscores that some previously dormant enforcement investigations are being revived, indicating a return to a more active CFPB.
Continue Reading Signs of Life at the CFPB
On January 27, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a report, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau: Status of Reorganization Efforts (GAO‑26‑108448), that offers a detailed snapshot of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s (CFPB or Bureau) ongoing downsizing and restructuring. This is the first of two GAO reports that focus on the CFPB’s reorganization and its ability to fulfill its statutory functions going forward.
Continue Reading GAO Details CFPB Reorganization, Funding Cuts, and Litigation
On January 12, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and U.S. Department of Justice formally withdrew their October 2023 joint statement on creditors’ consideration of immigration status under the Equal Credit Opportunity Act (ECOA). As we previewed in our December 23, 2025 blog post (available here), the agencies state that the CFPB’s prior statement may have created the misimpression that ECOA or Regulation B impose additional limits on the consideration of immigration or citizenship status beyond the existing regulatory text. The agencies also state that additional guidance on this topic goes beyond Regulation B, so it is unnecessary and appropriate for rescission.
Continue Reading CFPB and DOJ Formally Withdraw 2023 Immigration-Status Fair Lending Guidance
On January 9, the defendants in National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU) v. Vought filed a notice and exhibit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia confirming that the Acting Director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB or Bureau) has now requested funding from the Federal Reserve Board (Federal Reserve), as required by Judge Amy Berman Jackson’s December 30, 2025 order.
Continue Reading CFPB Complies with Court’s Funding Order in <em>NTEU v. Vought</em>
Today, another significant decision was issued in the ongoing battle over the fate of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB or Bureau). In National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU) v. Vought, the D.C. federal district court granted the plaintiffs’ motion to clarify the existing preliminary injunction and squarely rejected the Department of Justice Office of Legal Counsel’s (OLC) interpretation of the CFPB’s funding statute. In so holding, the ruling makes clear that the CFPB cannot justify noncompliance with the court’s existing preliminary injunction by declining to request funds from the Federal Reserve.
Continue Reading Federal District Court Clarifies CFPB Injunction, Rejects OLC Funding Theory