Reports

CFPB recently analyzed the NSF fee practices of a number of banks and credit unions, finding that most large earners of NSF fee revenue have eliminated these fees, saving consumers nearly $2 billion annually.

This Bureau Data Point article describes 2022 mortgage market activity and trends using data reported under the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act (HMDA).

Overdraft/NSF revenue for the fourth quarter of 2022 alone was approximately $1.5 billion lower than in the fourth quarter of 2019 – a decrease of 48% compared to before the pandemic, suggesting an annual reduction of over $5.5 billion going forward. This decrease suggests average annual savings of more than $150 per household that incurs overdraft or NSF fees; many households have saved much more.

This report documents research findings on the impact of PACE financing on consumer financial outcomes from 2014 through 2020.

We study removals of medical collections from credit reports that occurred between 2012-2020 and find associated increases in credit score and credit availability.

This staff report provides a window into the financial circumstances faced by customers of Southern Bancorp Bank, a CDFI that serves some of the most economically underserved areas in the United States.

The 2022 Financial Literacy Annual Report of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) is required under Section 1013 of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act.

This report contains the findings of the Bureau’s voluntary review of the final rule on the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act the Bureau issued in October 2015 (2015 HMDA Final Rule) and related amendments (collectively, the HMDA Rule).

This report explores the consumer financial profiles of Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) borrowers using the Bureau’s Making Ends Meet survey and its association with credit bureau data.

This report provides an overview of the trends in third-party debt collections tradelines on consumer credit reports from 2018 to 2022.

Since late 2021, several banks have announced changes to their overdraft programs that have been expected to result in reductions in overdraft/non-sufficient fund (NSF) fee revenue.

The annual Making Ends Meet survey report shows how consumers’ finances changed from 2021 to 2022.

The Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA) gives servicemembers on active duty the right to request interest rate reductions on outstanding loans during the time they are activated and for an additional year in the case of mortgages. However, according to the CFPB’s research, only small fractions of activated Guard and Reserve servicemembers receive interest rate reductions.

This report provides new insights into the automated saving rules consumers use (e.g., save on payday or with each purchase) and how these rules relate to the amount saved.

This bulletin outlines difficulties prospective renters encountered in connection with a landlord’s use of a tenant screening report, based on complaints submitted to the CFPB and CFPB-commissioned qualitative research.

Each year, millions of consumers encounter tenant screening as a gateway in their path to rental housing.

This Bureau Data Point article describes 2021 mortgage market activity and trends using data reported under the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act (HMDA).

Charity care is one of the main forms of assistance hospitals offer to low-income consumers to help cover the cost of medical treatment.

This is part of a series of reports of consumer credit trends produced by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau using a longitudinal sample of approximately five million de-identified credit records from one of the three nationwide consumer reporting agencies.

This consumer credit trends report explores credit card line decreases and changes in consumer credit characteristics.

This report highlights the CFPB’s research on rural consumers as well as contextual information from other agencies on the consumer finance challenges faced by rural communities.

New analysis of student loan borrowers to identify groups of borrowers who may encounter difficulties when the CARES Act federal payment suspension ends.

This COVID-19 Special Issue Brief follows up on a May 2021 report that discussed the characteristics of mortgage borrowers, including demographics, during the COVID-19 pandemic. A significant number of homeowners have transitioned out of those forbearances over the last year due, in part, to improving economic conditions and the expiration of protections under these programs for many loans beginning in the Fall of 2021. Given these changes, our goal in this report is to better understand the characteristics of borrowers who remain in forbearance, as reported through January 2022.

New analysis in our Making Ends Meet series looks at financial security by examining how much consumers have in emergency savings and their financial profiles.

The 2021 Financial Literacy Annual Report details the CFPB’s financial literacy strategy and activities to improve the financial literacy of consumers. Overall, this report describes the CFPB’s efforts in a broad range of financial literacy areas relevant to consumers’ financial lives.