Strengthening Consumer Financial Protections
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), created by the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, was set up to protect consumers from unfair, deceptive and abusive financial products and practices such as those that led to the Great Recession. Empowered to crack down on lenders that deceive consumers, charge unfair fees and impose onerous terms of service, this newly created consumer protection agency has the potential to restore fairness to consumer finance and accountability to the financial sector. As an agency that is still in its infancy, many of the rules it will work to enforce still must be written and implemented. The financial sector and its allies in Congress have been incessant in their attempts to delay, defund and weaken the CFPB.
During the CFPB’s creation and throughout the process that led to the appointment of its first director, Public Citizen has been on the front lines. Public Citizen continues to combat the financial industry’s attempts to undermine this new consumer agency’s important work.
More Resources on Creating a Consumer Financial Protection Agency
- Press Release: Legal Immunity for Mortgage Lenders Would Undermine Efforts to Combat Abusive Practices, July 17, 2012
- Press Release: CFPB Public Credit Card Complaint Database Constitutes Modest Advance, June 19, 2012
- Press Release: Got a Credit Card or Bank Account? Scrutiny of Forced Arbitration Is Good News, April 24, 2012
- Press Release: Public Citizen Applauds Obama’s Recess Appointment of Richard Cordray to Lead Consumer Agency, January 4, 2012
- Press Release: Obama Should Appoint Cordray to Consumer Bureau During Recess, December 8, 2011
- Press Release: Vote on Cordray Will Test Who Supports Main Street and the 99 Percent, December 7, 2011
- Press Release: Senate Republicans Must Cease Political Extortion, Stop Using Confirmation Process to Gut Consumer Banking Protection, October 6, 2011
- Press Release: America Deserves Speedy Confirmation of CFPB Chief, September 6, 2011
- Press Release: Public Citizen Decries Vote to Emasculate New Consumer Financial Agency, July 21, 2011
- Press Release: Wall Street Succeeds at Torpedoing Warren; Senate Should Confirm Obama Pick for Consumer Financial Agency, July 18, 2011
- Press Release: House Budgetary Attack on Pivotal Consumer Protection Agencies Is Craven Betrayal of Public, June 23, 2011
- Op-Ed Article by Public Citizen in Huffington Post: Republicans Do Not Have the Power to Block an Elizabeth Warren Recess Appointment, June 21, 2011
- Letter to President Obama Urging Him to Appoint Elizabeth Warren as Director of the CFPB, June 21, 2011
- Op-Ed Article by Public Citizen in Huffington Post: Senate Republicans Give up on Opposing Elizabeth Warren for CFPB, With a Twist, May 6, 2011
- Press Release: Rumored Warren Role in New Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Is Welcome News, September 16, 2010
- Press Release: Public Citizen Applauds House of Representatives for Passing Wall Street Reform, Urges Senate to Follow Suit, July 1, 2010
- Press Release: Warren Grilling Is Shameful, May 24, 2011
- Press Release: After Senate Republican Retreat on Elizabeth Warren, President Should Nominate Her Immediately and, if Necessary, Appoint Her During Next Senate Recess, May 6, 2011
- Press Release: Public Citizen Calls on Chair of House Banking Subcommittee to Disclose Ties to Wells Fargo, May 3, 2011
- Letter from Public Citizen Urging House Banking Subcommittee Member Rep. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) to Disclose Husband’s ties to Wells Fargo (PDF), May 3, 2011
- Press Release: Americans Need an Independent Consumer Financial Protection Agency, March 2, 2010
- Press Release: Public Citizen, Americans for Financial Reform and Thousands of Americans Petition Sen. Dodd to Fight for a Strong, Independent Consumer Financial Protection Agency, February 25, 2010
- Press Release: In Approving New Agency, Lawmakers Take Significant Step Toward Protecting Consumers, Addressing Causes of Economic Crisis, October 22, 2009
- Press Release: Public Citizen to Congress: Do Not Defang Consumer Financial Protection Agency – Defeat Bean Amendment, October 13, 2009
- Press Release: Consumer Financial Protection Agency Bill is Right to Address Forced Arbitration, Says Coalition, July 14, 2009
- Press Release: President Obama has proposed sweeping, important and positive changes to the ways in which financial markets are regulated, June 17, 2009
- Press Release: President Proposes New Credit Safety Agency for Consumers, June 17, 2009
- Press Release: It’s Time to Bring Fairness, Oversight to Financial Markets, June 16, 2009
- Press Release: Durbin, Schumer Propose New Credit Safety Agency for Consumers, March 10, 2009