On January 16, 2025, the NCUA released a Research Note that provides an analysis of statistics for overdraft and non-sufficient funds fees, and observations on the relationship between overdraft and non-sufficient funds fees and other revenues. NCUA Chairman Harper said that the Research Note provides important information for consumers, researchers, credit unions, and regulators about the use of overdraft and NSF fees at credit unions.

On January 14, 2025, the CFPB proposed a rule under Regulation AA that would prohibit certain contractual provisions in agreements for consumer financial products or services. The proposed rule aims to address coercive and restrictive clauses in consumer financial contracts. 

On January 10, 2025, the CFPB published a blog post to create consumer awareness on the new protections for payday and installment loans that will take effect March 30, 2025. The new rule addresses lenders’ unfair and abusive practice of repeatedly trying to withdraw money from an account to pay off the loan, even after the account had been shown to be empty.

On January 14, 2025, the CFPB published in the Federal Register a withdrawal from its proposed rule to prohibit banks and other financial institutions from charging certain nonsufficient funds (NSF) fees, such as those for declined debit card purchases, Automated Teller Machine (ATM) withdrawals, and some person-to-person payments. The CFPB said that it will determine whether a more comprehensive approach to also prohibit NSF fees charged for additional types of transactions will better protect consumers from potentially unlawful fees.

On January 13, 2025, the CFPB  issued a new report that found significant differences in the likelihood that homeowners with a mortgage are adequately insured against flooding based both on location and on income and assets. The report looks at flood risk in the southeast and central southwest census regions of the United States, as measured by flood risk data from both the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the First Street Foundation. 

On January 7, 2025, the CFPB sued Experian, the nationwide consumer reporting agency, for unlawfully failing to investigate consumer disputes properly. The CFPB alleges that Experian does not take sufficient steps to intake, process, investigate, and notify consumers about consumer disputes, resulting in the inclusion of incorrect information on credit reports. 

On January 7, 2025, the CFPB finalized a rule that bans the inclusion of medical bills on credit reports used by lenders and prohibits lenders from using medical information in their lending decisions. According to the CFPB, the final rule will remove an estimated $49 billion in medical bills from the credit reports of about 15 million Americans.

On January 6, 2025, the CFPB sued Vanderbilt Mortgage & Finance for setting families up to fail when they borrowed money to buy a manufactured home. The CFPB alleges that Vanderbilt’s business model ignored clear and obvious red flags that the borrowers could not afford the loans resulting in many families struggling to make payments.

On January 1, 2025, the CFPB opened the filing period for HMDA data collected in 2024.Submissions will be considered timely if received on or before March 3, 2025.