CFPBConsumer Financial Protection Bureau
The US federal agency that implements and enforces federal consumer financial law. It was created by the Dodd-Frank Act of 2010. The CFPB is not an AML authority, but many of the banks, lenders and fintechs it oversees also carry BSA/AML obligations.
Why it matters
The CFPB writes rules, supervises companies, enforces the law and handles consumer complaints. Its supervisory reach covers banks and credit unions with more than $10 billion in assets and certain nonbank providers, such as mortgage companies, payday lenders and larger participants in specific markets.
For compliance teams, the overlap with AML sits in areas like electronic fund transfer disputes, fraud and scam losses, account restrictions and closures, and fair treatment of customers whose accounts are flagged. A control that blocks a payment or exits a customer for AML reasons still has to respect consumer protection rules.
The bureau's role has narrowed since 2025. In May 2025, Congress used the Congressional Review Act to repeal the CFPB rule that would have brought large digital payment apps under its supervision, and the agency has since reduced its supervisory and enforcement activity.
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