On 12/9/2021, the CFPB published a blog post titled “Seven examples of unfair practices and other violations by mortgage servicers: CFPB supervision activities uncover red flags.” In their post, the CFPB explains that during the pandemic, families struggle to afford their mortgage payments. It was noted that over 7 million homeowners entered forbearance programs to defer their monthly payments.

On 12/8/21, the Federal Trade Commission issued a data spotlight that shows consumers reported losing $148 million in scams where gift cards were used as the form of payment , in the first nine months of 2021. That amount is more than was reported in all of 2020.

On 12/8/21, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) issued their regular Supervisory Highlights report, which shines a light on legal violations identified by the CFPB’s examinations in the first half of 2021. The report also highlights prior CFPB supervisory findings that led to public enforcement actions in the first half of 2021.

On 12/6/21, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) reported the key issues facing the federal banking system and the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the federal banking industry in its Semiannual Risk Perspective for Fall 2021.

On 12/3/21, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) announced that it is soliciting academic-focused papers and policy-focused research on climate risk in banking and finance for presentation to the agency on June 6-7, 2022. Information gathered will help OCC in developing climate-related financial risk management guidance for regulated institutions.

On 12/1/2021, the CFBP released research finding that banks continue to rely heavily on overdraft and non-sufficient funds (NSF) revenue. According to the research, overdraft ad NSF revenue reached an estimated $15.47 billion in 2019.