Former CFPB Lawyers Launch Initiative to Combat Corporate Misconduct Amid Trump-Era Rollbacks

Three former senior enforcement lawyers from the U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) have announced the launch of a new “strategic enforcement project” aimed at safeguarding the public from corporate wrongdoing. The initiative, led by Eric Halperin, Cara Petersen, and Tara Mikkilineni, is being organized under the banner of the pro-consumer group Protect Borrowers. According to the organization, the project will pursue litigation targeting products and practices that exploit workers, consumers, and small business owners.

The move comes in response to what advocates describe as a “virtual collapse” of the CFPB under President Donald Trump’s administration. Since taking office, Trump has been critical of the agency, accusing it of politicized enforcement and calling for its abolition. His administration has significantly curtailed the CFPB’s powers by stalling enforcement and supervision activities, and withdrawing ongoing actions against corporate offenders.

“Indicators of deep economic pain for workers and consumers are flashing bright red, even as corporate profits are skyrocketing,” said Halperin, the CFPB’s former enforcement director. “With no federal enforcement apparatus to ensure corporations are held accountable, it’s only too easy for them to fleece consumers to line their pocketbooks.” The new initiative signals a growing effort by consumer advocates and Democratic attorneys general to fill the enforcement gap left by federal retrenchment.

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