Blog | Consumer Financial Protection Bureau

Info for consumers

Published JAN 23, 2018

Looking for a loan? Find out how to Know Before You Owe

By taking some time to prepare, you can make sure you get the best loan for your situation. CFPB’s Know Before You Owe gives you information and tools to help you better understand your choices.

By Kristin Dohn

Info for consumers

Published DEC 18, 2017

5 financial New Year’s resolutions

As we kick off the New Year, here are five financial New Year’s resolutions to help you meet your goals.

By Kristin Dohn

Policy and compliance

Published NOV 20, 2017

Identification of language preference on the Uniform Residential Loan Application

The Bureau issued an official approval of the final redesigned Uniform Residential Loan Application (URLA), which will include a question about mortgage applicants’ language preference.

By J Frank Vespa-Papaleo

Info for consumers

Published NOV 20, 2017

CFPB and VA WARNO: VA refinancing offers that sound too good to be true

CFPB WARNO: Don’t be fooled. Before responding to any unsolicited VA mortgage refinance offers, here is what you need to know.

By Patrick Campbell and Anthony Vail

Info for consumers

Published NOV 02, 2017

African-American and Hispanic borrowers harmed by Provident will receive $9 million in compensation

Provident borrowers who were charged higher broker fees will receive compensation.

By Patrice Alexander Ficklin

Info for consumers

Published OCT 04, 2017

eClosing and buying a home: Technology’s role in closing on a mortgage

Technology is transforming everything. Soon, consumers will find themselves being offered platforms that allow borrowers to access mortgage closing documents online.

By Noerena Limón

Info for consumers

Published SEP 29, 2017

Seven factors that determine your mortgage interest rate

Understand the key factors that affect your interest rate. Use our Explore Rates Tool to see how they may affect interest rates for loans in your area.

By Nicole Shea

Policy and compliance

Published AUG 22, 2017

Here’s what you need to know about the new FFIEC HMDA Examiner Transaction Testing Guidelines

Learn more about the new Home Mortgage Disclosure Act (HMDA) Resubmission Guidelines for all financial institutions that report HMDA data.

By Tim Lambert and Eric Wang

Data, research, and reports Info for consumers

Published JUL 06, 2017

Top five consumer financial complaints reported across the U.S.

Read about top financial issues reported by consumers to the CFPB and get information to help if you have a similar issue.

By Chris Johnson

Policy and compliance

Published MAY 25, 2017

We are seeking comment on our plan for assessing the ATR/QM rule

The CFPB will assess the Ability-to-Repay/Qualified Mortgage (ATR/QM) rule. We are seeking comments on our plan for the assessment.

By Sergei Kulaev and Paul Rothstein

Info for consumers

Published MAY 02, 2017

Making the decision to rent or buy

Becoming a homeowner is a big decision—both personally and financially. As you decide whether owning a home is the right choice for you right now, here are...

By Nicole Shea

Policy and compliance

Published APR 13, 2017

We are proposing changes to Regulation C to help industry comply and are looking for your feedback

We are seeking comment on our proposal to clarify, make technical corrections, and minor changes to the data that financial institutions are required to...

By Terry J. Randall

Data, research, and reports

Published APR 03, 2017

Understanding Consumer Experiences: Insights from CFPB’s 2016 Consumer Response Annual Report

We recently published our Consumer Response Annual Report, which provides an overview of the complaints we received in 2016.

By Chris Johnson

Policy and compliance

Published MAR 24, 2017

The Consumer Bureau is proposing changes to Regulation B to help mortgage lenders and is looking for your feedback

We are seeking comment on our proposal to increase flexibility for mortgage lenders in collecting certain information.

By James Wylie

Info for consumers

Published MAR 01, 2017

How to deal with “bad credit”—or no credit—when you want to buy a home

If you want to buy a home but you’re concerned about your credit score or credit history, we can help you understand your choices.

By Megan Thibos

Info for consumers

Published FEB 13, 2017

Making the move to homeownership on your own or with someone else

While married couples make up the majority of home buyers, single women make up the next biggest segment of home buyers and outpace single men more than two...

By Megan Thibos

Info for consumers

Published JAN 30, 2017

How to decide how much to spend on your down payment

Your down payment will affect not just how much money you need to bring to closing, but also how much your mortgage will cost overall. Read on to find out...

By Megan Thibos

Info for consumers

Published JAN 23, 2017

Your mortgage calculator may be setting you up for a surprise

Key things to keep in mind when you use a mortgage calculator to calculate your monthly mortgage payment.

By Megan Thibos

Info for consumers

Published JAN 09, 2017

Buying a home? The first step is to check your credit

Reviewing your credit is the first step to building a strong financial foundation for your new home.

By Erica Kritt

Data, research, and reports

Published NOV 10, 2016

A Veterans Day complaint review: VA home loan refinancing

Our report highlights trends and issues reported in servicemember complaints about VA mortgage refinances. We also have direct-to-consumer tips to remember...

By Holly Petraeus

Info for consumers Policy and compliance

Published AUG 04, 2016

We’ve updated our mortgage servicing rules to provide greater protections for mortgage borrowers and other homeowners

Today we finalized new changes to our mortgage servicing rules. These updates ensure that mortgage servicers treat homeowners and struggling borrowers...

By Laura Johnson

At the CFPB Info for consumers

Published JUL 21, 2016

Consumers Count: Tools and resources for money decisions

Take control of your financial life with these ten tools that can help you make choices at the grocery store, pay your credit card bill, and deal with debt...

By Gail Hillebrand

Info for consumers

Published JUL 06, 2016

La delimitación ilegal: Acción del CFPB y del Departamento de Justicia requiere que el banco BancorpSouth pague millones de dólares a consumidores perjudicados

El banco BancorpSouth pagará $10.6 millones para responder al problema de la delimitación ilegal y otras alegaciones de discriminación, luego de que por...

By Daniel Dodd-Ramirez and Patrice Alexander Ficklin

Info for consumers

Published JUN 29, 2016

Redlining: CFPB and DOJ action requires BancorpSouth Bank to pay millions to harmed consumers

BancorpSouth Bank will pay $10.6 million to address redlining and other discrimination claims. After, for the first time, we used undercover testers to help...

By Daniel Dodd-Ramirez and Patrice Alexander Ficklin

Info for consumers

Published APR 14, 2016

Mortgage Moves: How many loan offers will you get?

Let's look at what happens when you find the right home. It's easy to get excited about the thought of owning your own home, but not about the process of...

By Erica Kritt