Law and legal issues

Consumer advocates MyPath and the Mississippi Center for Justice have been allowed to intervene in a banking industry lawsuit challenging the CFPB's $5 overdraft fee cap for large financial institutions after the bureau declined to defend the rule.

The Biden-era suit against Zelle's parent company and its largest bank parent owners sought to require banks to reimburse consumers for "induced fraud," when a consumer is tricked into sending money to someone under false pretenses.

At a court hearing on Monday, lawyers for the Trump administration said statutorily required work is being done by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, while the union claimed the government is trying to shut the agency down.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's decision to no longer pursue its enforcement action against the credit reporting bureau marks the eighth lawsuit dropped by the agency in recent days.

The union representing Consumer Financial Protection Bureau employees said in a court filing that the Trump administration's actions to reduce the agency's workforce and cut spending violate the law.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau voluntarily dismissed a lawsuit against Capital One brought under the Biden administration alleging the bank failed to honor interest rate promises, costing consumers an estimated $2 billion.

Housing finance players accused of wronging consumers slammed the lawsuits as politically motivated efforts by former Biden-era bureau director Rohit Chopra.

The Justice Department said in a legal brief that the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau will continue to exist, but said instead that the agency will have fewer employees and a reduced budget under the Trump administration.

President Donald Trump's concerted effort to bring the entirety of the executive branch under his direct control defies tradition, and in some cases, likely the law. Banks have thus far voiced little objection, but they should know how critical the rule of law is to their bottom line.

A federal magistrate judge is recommending that the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's small business lending data collection rule be upheld, rejecting a challenge by merchant cash advance lenders.

A federal district court in Texas has stayed an injunction that had prevented enforcement of the Corporate Transparency Act and its reporting requirement.

U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson agreed to temporarily block the Trump administration from firing more CPFB employees and said the White House could not delete or destroy any of the bureau's data or databases.

Consumer and employees groups are seeking a restraining order against CFPB acting Director Russell Vought, arguing that he was unlawfully installed and has "no power to direct" the bureau.

The mayor and city council of Baltimore, along with a Maryland-based economic justice group, are suing the bureau and its acting director, claiming that the recent decision to "defund" the CFPB will leave it unable to support communities.

A federal appeals court in Texas has delayed the implementation of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's small-business data reporting rule slated to go into effect in July. How the Trump administration proceeds from here could be instructive on its approach to other CFPB rules.

Acting Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Director Russell Vought ordered bureau employees to "stand down" and perform no work, effective immediately.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, now led by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, agreed to temporarily halt enforcement and litigation over its medical debt rule, handing the banking industry an immediate reprieve.

The wholesale and non qm lender said it's placed Serene Vernon on administrative leave and elevated capital markets officer John Hamel to the role of president.

A trio of high-profile lawsuits issued at the tail end of the Biden administration indicate that the agency cares more about pursuing a political agenda than it does about helping American consumers.

The Office of Management and Budget issued a sweeping directive Monday to overhaul the federal government to align with the Trump administration's priorities.