On January 9, CFPB Acting Director Vought notified Judge Amy Berman Jackson that, in response to her December 30, 2025 opinion in National Treasury Employees Union v. CFPB (DDC), he had just requested $145 Million from the Federal Reserve Board to operate the CFPB from January through March of this year.… Continue Reading
CFPB and DOJ withdraw joint statement on consideration of immigration status under ECOA
As previously reported, in October 2023 the CFPB and DOJ issued a joint statement regarding “the potential civil rights implications of a creditor’s consideration of an individual’s immigration status under the Equal Credit Opportunity Act (ECOA).” We were critical of the joint statement, and observed that:
“By not providing clear guidance on when the consideration of immigration status can cross the line into improper discrimination based on race or national origin, the agencies make it difficult for us to avoid the conclusion that the agencies’ primary goal in issuing the statement is to scare creditors away from using immigration status in credit decisions.”… Continue Reading
Senate sends Levenbach nomination to be CFPB Director back to president, allowing Vought to serve longer as Acting Director
On January 3, 2026, the Senate sent the nomination of Stuart Levenbach to be CFPB Director back to the President without acting on it—a move that would allow Russell Vought to remain acting head of the bureau through August 1.
President Trump nominated Levenbach, an Associate Director of the Office of Management and Budget, as CFPB Director in November.… Continue Reading
Why Judge Jackson Is Wrong: The CFPB Cannot Be Lawfully Funded When the Federal Reserve Has No Profits
In her December 30, 2025 opinion in National Treasury Employees Union v. Vought (which we blogged about here), Judge Amy Berman Jackson concluded that the CFPB may continue to draw funding from the Federal Reserve System even when the Federal Reserve, on a combined basis, is losing money. According to the court, the statutory phrase “combined earnings of the Federal Reserve System” in 12 U.S.C.… Continue Reading
District Court refuses to modify preliminary injunction against CFPB while clarifying that CFPB is not precluded from requesting operating funds from Fed because of Fed’s losses
In a case of first impression, in clarifying her injunction issued in the lawsuit brought by the National Treasury Employees Union and others challenging the planned reductions in force and other efforts to reduce functions at the CFPB, Judge Amy Berman Jackson of the DC Federal District Court vigorously rejected the opinion of the Office of Legal Counsel of the Department of Justice (“OLC”) that the CFPB may not be funded by the Fed because (1) the Dodd-Frank Act provides that the CFPB may only be funded by the Fed out of “combined earnings of the Federal Reserve System”, (2) the term “combined earnings” means combined profits and not combined revenues and (3) the Federal Reserve System has incurred losses since September 2022.… Continue Reading
State AGs file suit to force CFPB to request funding from the Federal Reserve
Charging that Acting CFPB Director Russell Vought has been attempting to close down the CFPB by any means necessary, Democratic Attorneys Generals (AGs) from 21 states and the District of Columbia have filed suit, asking a federal court to require Vought to seek State AGs file suit to force CFPB to request funding from the Federal Reserve funds from the Federal Reserve to operate the bureau. … Continue Reading
Today’s podcast episode: The CFPB’s Most Ambitious Regulatory Agenda Ever – Part 2
Today’s episode features Part 2 of our November 4 webinar, “The CFPB’s Most Ambitious Regulatory Agenda Ever.” (Part 1 of this series was released on December 18. We encourage you to listen to that episode as well). In Part 2, we continue to unpack the far-reaching implications of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s (CFPB) regulatory ambitions.… Continue Reading
Circuit Court grants union’s request for en banc rehearing in CFPB employees’ firing case
The Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia has granted a request for an en banc rehearing in the National Treasury Employees Union’s (NTEU) and others’ challenge to the firing of more than 1,400 CFPB employees and the taking of certain other actions to curtail the operations of the CFPB.
The Plaintiffs sued the Administration, contending that its plan to lay off the employees at the CFPB and to take certain other actions is tantamount to an abolishment of the agency.… Continue Reading
Today’s podcast episode: The CFPB’s Most Ambitious Regulatory Agenda Ever – Part 1
Today’s episode features Part 1 of our November 4 webinar, “The CFPB’s Most Ambitious Regulatory Agenda Ever.” In this packed episode, our expert panel breaks down the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s largest and boldest regulatory agenda to date. Discussing an unprecedented lineup of 24 rulemaking items that could reshape the consumer financial services industry.… Continue Reading
Former Senator Dodd, Representative Frank and current Democratic Members of Congress ask Court to reject Trump Administration’s summary interpretation of CFPB funding mechanism
Current and former Democratic members of Congress have told a federal court that the Trump Administration’s interpretation of the CFPB’s funding mechanism is at odds with Congress’ plan to provide the bureau with a stable, independent source of funding.
On December 5, Rise Economy, the National Reinvestment Coalition and the Woodstock Institute filed a lawsuit against the CFPB and its Acting Director Russell Vought in the Federal District Court for the Northern District of California seeking declaratory and injunctive relief related to Vought’s determination not to seek funding from the Federal Reserve Board because of an opinion from the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel (OLC).… Continue Reading