Reports

Pursuant to the CARD Act, the CFPB’s College Banking and Credit Card Agreements report monitors financial products offered through colleges, specifically deposit and prepaid accounts and credit cards.

Overdraft/NSF revenue for the full year of 2023 was approximately $6.1 billion lower than before the pandemic, and 24% lower than in 2022. However, quarterly overdraft/NSF fees were flat throughout 2023, suggesting most of the year-over-year reduction reflects the impact of changes in policy enacted in 2022.

This report provides new insights about consumers’ experiences with overdraft and NSF fees, and paints a broad picture of the financial circumstances of these consumers.

Many states have adopted Community Reinvestment Acts similar in purpose and structure as to federal Community Reinvestment Act of 1977. These state laws were developed following the passage of the federal Community Reinvestment Act but contain differences that reflect the unique reinvestment priorities of individual states.

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 report analyzes banking and credit access across eight states in the southern region of the U.S, particularly branch presence and bank account access, and capital access such as mortgage lending.

Many financial institutions are using advanced technologies to deploy customer service chatbots. Poorly designed chatbots can lead to customer frustration, reduced trust, and even violations under the law.

Payment apps that allow consumers and businesses to quickly send and send money also often provide the ability for users to store those funds. Funds stored on these platforms often lack deposit insurance coverage and are at risk of loss in the event of financial distress or failure of the entity operating the payment platform.

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.

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 2022 Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) report on college banking, including credit card and deposit product agreements.

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.

This report outlines challenges faced by justice-involved people and their families in navigating their finances at each stage of the criminal justice system.

In this special issue of Supervisory Highlights, we report examination findings in the areas of consumer reporting and furnishing of information to consumer reporting companies, pursuant to the Fair Credit Reporting Act and Regulation V. The report does not impose any new or different legal requirements, and all violations described in the report are based only on those specific facts and circumstances noted during those examinations.

A large study exploring tax-time saving found that early messaging and small incentives were effective at encouraging some customers to save using a savings feature on their prepaid card.

This report on the Bureau’s September 17th, 2018 Building a Bridge to Credit Visibility Symposium summarizes the panel discussions that took place during the event and highlights the key themes that stood out from those conversations.

This Advisory Update focuses on financial institution reporting of elder financial exploitation to federal, state and local first responders.

This report shares findings from qualitative interviews with consumers about their experiences with overdraft programs and fees.

Our data point reports are prepared by our Office of Research to provide an evidence-based perspective on consumer financial markets, consumer behavior, and regulations to inform the public discourse.

In this issue of Supervisory Highlights, we share findings from recent supervisory examination observations in consumer reporting. These observations...

The CFPB's Office of Consumer Response hears directly from consumers about the challenges they face in the marketplace, brings their concerns to the...

Hundreds of communities across the United States have created collaborative networks to protect their older residents. This report highlights what elder...

Banks and credit unions are uniquely positioned to detect elder financial exploitation and to take action. This advisory and report include best practices...

The CFPB's Office of Financial Empowerment issued a Request for Information (RFI) to find out more about mobile financial services and how low-income and...

The supervision of companies offering financial products and services is one of our core functions, and we remain committed to periodically publishing...