On 3/11/21, the CFPB announced that it is rescinding a policy statement that was just over a year old. Specifically, the CFPB has rescinded its January 24, 2020 policy statement titled “Statement of Policy Regarding Prohibition on Abusive Acts or Practices.” In their release, the CFPB explains that they intend to exercise its supervisory and enforcement authority consistent with the full scope of its statutory authority under the Dodd-Frank Act and these changes help to better protect consumers and the marketplace from abusive acts or practices.
The CFPB release explains this change:
“The 2020 Policy Statement was inconsistent with the Bureau’s duty to enforce Congress’s standard and rescinding it will better serve the CFPB’s objective to protect consumers from abusive practices.
For example, the 2020 Policy Statement stated that the CFPB would decline to seek civil money penalties and disgorgement for certain abusive acts or practices. The CFPB deters abusive practices and compensates certain harmed consumers using penalties, so the Policy Statement undermined deterrence and was contrary to the CFPB’s mission of protecting consumers.
Going forward, the CFPB intends to consider good faith, company size, and all other factors it typically considers as it uses its prosecutorial discretion. But a policy of declining to enforce the full scope of Congress’s definition of an abusive practice harms both the consumers who were taken advantage of and the honest companies that have to compete against those that violate the law.”
The CFPB’s rescission of the policy statement can be found here.