CFPB Overhauls Complaint System and Data Publication

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) announced significant changes to its consumer complaint system and data publication practices. Effective August 14, 2026, the CFPB will cease the discretionary publication of consumer complaint narratives and visualizations [CFPB Newsroom]. This decision follows an earlier statement on June 24, 2026, indicating the agency's efforts to correct perceived flaws and restore integrity and utility to the system, which it described as having been "plagued by issues that severely limit its effectiveness" [CFPB Newsroom]. Additionally, the CFPB worked to ensure consumers affected by Bilt's transition to a new bank partner were made whole, engaging directly with Bilt to address issues [CFPB Newsroom]. In other data-related news, the 2025 Home Mortgage Disclosure Act (HMDA) data on mortgage lending became available on March 31, 2026 [CFPB Newsroom].

FTC Warns of Diverse Scams Targeting Consumers

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) continues to issue multiple consumer alerts regarding prevalent scam tactics. Of particular note are warnings concerning the non-consensual sharing of intimate images. The FTC has provided guidance on how to report platforms that fail to remove such content swiftly, emphasizing that federal law requires platforms to offer an easy submission process for victims [FTC Consumer Alerts].

Beyond image-based exploitation, the FTC has identified several other fraudulent schemes: scammers are impersonating farm equipment businesses, leading to farmers paying for non-existent equipment [FTC Consumer Alerts]. Warnings have also been issued about deceptive QR codes used by scammers, advising consumers to verify the legitimacy of QR codes before scanning, especially for payments [FTC Consumer Alerts]. Tax debt relief scams, postcard scams targeting veterans for bogus benefits, and "brushing scams" involving unsolicited packages were also highlighted as ongoing threats [FTC Consumer Alerts]. The FTC encourages consumers to report any scams encountered, as these reports are vital in combating fraud [FTC Consumer Alerts].

Federal Reserve Proposes Stablecoin Regulation

The Federal Reserve Board announced on September 24, 2026, that it is requesting public comment on two proposals. These proposals are aimed at establishing a regulatory framework for Board-supervised payment stablecoin issuers under the GENIUS Act. This initiative signals a move towards formalizing oversight for a growing segment of the digital financial market [Federal Reserve Press Releases]. Separately, the Federal Reserve Board and Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) released economic projections from their September 15-16 meeting, along with the official FOMC statement [Federal Reserve Press Releases].