‘Screwed twice’: The CFPB says it’s looking out for consumers. Its own data tells a different story
Summary
A Guardian analysis of Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) data found that complaints against most financial firms named in lawsuits later dropped by the bureau increased in the following year. The article says the Trump administration has sharply reduced CFPB enforcement activity, while the agency defended its approach and criticized its past work.Key Facts
- Complaints against the firms named in the dropped cases rose by more than 75% overall, according to the Guardian analysis.
- Of 23 financial firms named as defendants, 17 received more complaints after their cases were dismissed.
- Complaints against Rocket Mortgage increased by more than 130% in the year after the CFPB dropped a lawsuit involving its sibling company, Rocket Homes.
- Complaints against Branch Messenger increased by 315% in the year after the CFPB dismissed a case alleging it worked with Walmart to collect unfair fees from delivery drivers.
- The article reports that CFPB complaints published publicly rose from nearly 2.7 million in 2024 to 6.3 million so far in 2025.
- The CFPB website lists nearly 400 public enforcement actions from mid-2012 through early 2025, and two since Donald Trump took office on January 20, 2025.
- The bureau has said its earlier enforcement actions helped provide consumers with more than $21 billion in restitution and canceled debts.
- The CFPB did not answer the article's detailed questions; a spokesperson said the agency had made homeownership more costly and described its past work as politically targeted.
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