Fend for Yourself: Under Trump, Consumer Protection Bureau's Probes of Big Tech and Finance Firms Freeze Up

Reporting cited here

1. documented

   As acting CFPB director, Russell Vought directed employees to cease supervisory examinations, investigations, stakeholder engagement, and most other work, suspending statutory consumer-protection functions.

   Passages and source records documenting: Vought ordered CFPB staff to stop nearly all supervisory and enforcement work

   Vought ordered CFPB staff to stop nearly all supervisory and enforcement work · Courts later restricted implementation of the shutdown and mass-layoff plan

2. dismissed

   ProPublica reported that the CFPB under Vought dropped its case accusing Capital One of misleading savings customers and withholding more than $2 billion in interest, ending the bureau's effort to obtain relief; Capital One disputed the allegations.

   Passages and source records documenting: CFPB dropped its Capital One savings-account investigation under Vought

   CFPB dropped its Capital One savings-account investigation under Vought · The bureau dismissed the enforcement matter

3. dismissed

   ProPublica reported that CFPB dismissed its suit alleging Rocket Homes used an illegal referral-kickback scheme to steer borrowers; dismissal ended the federal case without an adjudicated liability finding, and Rocket denied wrongdoing.

   Passages and source records documenting: CFPB abandoned its Rocket Homes kickback case

   CFPB abandoned its Rocket Homes kickback case · CFPB voluntarily dismissed the case

4. documented

   Court records showed CFPB leadership planned a reduction of roughly 90 percent of staff, retaining only a small remnant across the bureau's statutory functions.

   Passages and source records documenting: CFPB leadership prepared to eliminate roughly 90 percent of the bureau

   CFPB leadership prepared to eliminate roughly 90 percent of the bureau · The court blocked the mass termination while litigation continued