Despite facing significant legal challenges and a shifting political landscape, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) is virtually unrestrained in its ability to launch investigations and threaten enforcement actions. We’ve obtained through a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request the most recent official CFPB Enforcement Policies and Procedures Manual Version 2.0. The Enforcement Policies and Procedures Manual “is the source for policies governing the work of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Office of Enforcement.” As a result, it is the agency’s playbook for investigations and enforcement actions that continue to make headlines and reverberate through the consumer financial services legal and regulatory landscape.
The document, available for download here, represents the most concrete and definitive statement of the CFPB Office of Enforcement’s views on the agency’s jurisdiction, authority, and strategy and tactics for launching investigations and bringing enforcement actions. The manual is important reading for anyone responding to a CFPB Civil Investigative Demand (CID), preparing to respond to a Notice of Opportunity to Respond and Advise (NORA) letter, litigating with the CFPB, advocating for the close of an investigation, or even preparing for or responding to an examination or Potential Action and Request for Response (PARR) letter.
Click here to read a summary of the highlights.