usc 12 § 5581
Transfer of consumer financial protection functions (BANKS AND BANKING (12 U.S.C.))
Operative Text
For purposes of this part— the term “consumer financial protection functions” means— all authority to prescribe rules or issue orders or guidelines pursuant to any Federal consumer financial law, including performing appropriate functions to promulgate and review such rules, orders, and guidelines; and the examination authority described in subsection (c)(1), with respect to a person described in ; and the terms “transferor agency” and “transferor agencies” mean, respectively— the Board of Governors (and any Federal reserve bank, as the context requires), the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the Federal Trade Commission, the National Credit Union Administration, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, the Office of Thrift Supervision, and the Department of Housing and Urban Development, and the heads of those agencies; and the agencies listed in subparagraph (A), collectively. Except as provided in subsection (c), consumer financial protection functions are transferred as follows: All consumer financial protection functions of the Board of Governors are transferred to the Bureau. The Bureau shall have all powers and duties that were vested in the Board of Governors, relating to consumer financial protection functions, on the day before the designated transfer date. All consumer financial protection functions of the Comptroller of the Currency are transferred to the Bureau. The Bureau shall have all powers and duties that were vested in the Comptroller of the Currency, relating to consumer financial protection functions, on the day before the designated transfer date. All consumer financial protection functions of the Director of the Office of Thrift Supervision are transferred to the Bureau. The Bureau shall have all powers and duties that were vested in the Director of the Office of Thrift Supervision, relating to consumer financial protection functions, on the day before the designated transfer date. All consumer financial protection functions of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation are transferred to the Bureau. The Bureau shall have all powers and duties that were vested in the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, relating to consumer financial protection functions, on the day before the designated transfer date. The authority of the Federal Trade Commission under an enumerated consumer law to prescribe rules, issue guidelines, or conduct a study or issue a report mandated under such law shall be transferred to the Bureau on the designated transfer date. Nothing in this title shall be construed to require a mandatory transfer of any employee of the Federal Trade Commission. The Bureau shall have all powers and duties under the enumerated consumer laws to prescribe rules, issue guidelines, or to conduct studies or issue reports mandated by such laws, that were vested in the Federal Trade Commission on the day before the designated transfer date. Subject to part B, the Bureau may enforce a rule prescribed under the Federal Trade Commission Act [ et seq.] by the Federal Trade Commission with respect to an unfair or deceptive act or practice to the extent that such rule applies to a covered person or service provider with respect to the offering or provision of a consumer financial product or service as if it were a rule prescribed under . No provision of this title shall be construed as modifying, limiting, or otherwise affecting the authority of the Federal Trade Commission (including its authority with respect to affiliates described in ) under the Federal Trade Commission Act or any other law, other than the authority under an enumerated consumer law to prescribe rules, issue official guidelines, or conduct a study or issue a report mandated under such law. 1 Subject to part B, the Federal Trade Commission shall have authority to enforce under the Federal Trade Commission Act ( et seq.) a rule prescribed by the Bureau under this title with respect to a covered person subject to the jurisdiction of the Federal Trade Commission under that Act, and a violation of such a rule by such a person shall be treated as a violation of a rule issued under section 18 of that Act () with respect to unfair or deceptive acts or practices. 1 To avoid duplication of or conflict between rules prescribed by the Bureau under and the Federal Trade Commission under section 18(a)(1)(B) of the Federal Trade Commission Act [] that apply to a covered person or service provider with respect to the offering or provision of consumer financial products or services, the agencies shall negotiate an agreement with respect to rulemaking by each agency, including consultation with the other agency prior to proposing a rule and during the comment period. No provision of this title shall be construed as altering, limiting, expanding, or otherwise affecting the deference that a court affords to the— 1 Federal Trade Commission in making determinations regarding the meaning or interpretation of any provision of the Federal Trade Commission Act, or of any other Federal law for which the Commission has authority to prescribe rules; or Bureau in making determinations regarding the meaning or interpretation of any provision of a Federal consumer financial law (other than any law described in clause (i)). All consumer financial protection functions of the National Credit Union Administration are transferred to the Bureau. The Bureau shall have all powers and duties that were vested in the National Credit Union Administration, relating to consumer financial protection functions, on the day before the designated transfer date. All consumer protection functions of the Secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development relating to the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act of 1974 ( et seq.), the Secure and Fair Enforcement for Mortgage Licensing Act of 2008 ( [5101] et seq.), and the Interstate Land Sales Full Disclosure Act ( et seq.) are transferred to the Bureau. The Bureau shall have all powers and duties that were vested in the Secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development relating to the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act of 1974 ( et seq.), the Secure and Fair Enforcement for Mortgage Licensing Act of 2008 ( et seq.), and the Interstate Land Sales Full Disclosure Act ( et seq.), on the day before the designated transfer date. A transferor agency that is a prudential regulator shall have— authority to require reports from and conduct examinations for compliance with Federal consumer financial laws with respect to a person described in , that is incidental to the backup and enforcement procedures provided to the regulator under ; and exclusive authority (relative to the Bureau) to require reports from and conduct examinations for compliance with Federal consumer financial laws with respect to a person described in , except as provided to the Bureau under subsections (b) and (c) of . The authority of a transferor agency that is a prudential regulator to enforce compliance with Federal consumer financial laws with respect to a person described in , shall be limited to the backup and enforcement procedures in described in . A transferor agency that is a prudential regulator shall have exclusive authority (relative to the Bureau) to enforce compliance with Federal consumer financial laws with respect to a person described in , except as provided to the Bureau under subsections (b) and (c) of . For purposes of carrying out the authorities under, and subject to the limitations of, part B, each prudential regulator may enforce compliance with the requirements imposed under this title, and any rule or order prescribed by the Bureau under this title, under— 1 1 the Federal Credit Union Act ( et seq.), by the National Credit Union Administration Board with respect to any covered person or service provider that is an insured credit union, or service provider thereto, or any affiliate of an insured credit union, who is subject to the jurisdiction of the Board under that Act; and , by the appropriate Federal banking agency, as defined in , with respect to a covered person or service provider that is a person described in and who is subject to the jurisdiction of that agency, as set forth in sections 1813(q) and 1818 of this title; or the Bank Service Company Act ( et seq.). Subsections (b) and (c) shall become effective on the designated transfer date.
Under 12 U.S.C. § 5581, the Dodd-Frank Act consolidated consumer financial protection rulemaking and examination authority from several federal agencies — including the Federal Reserve, the FDIC, the OCC, the Office of Thrift Supervision, the FTC, the NCUA, and HUD — into the newly created Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). Each transferor agency's powers and duties related to consumer financial protection were reassigned to the Bureau as of the designated transfer date. The FTC retains its broader authority under the FTC Act, but its specific rulemaking power under enumerated consumer laws moved to the Bureau; the two agencies are required to coordinate to avoid conflicting rules. Prudential regulators retained limited, defined roles for examining and enforcing compliance with federal consumer financial laws for certain institutions within their jurisdiction.
Plain English — not legal advice.
Property owners and managers involved in mortgage lending, real estate settlement services, or land sales should be aware that under 12 U.S.C. § 5581, the regulatory authority over laws such as RESPA, the SAFE Act, and the Interstate Land Sales Full Disclosure Act shifted from HUD to the CFPB as of the designated transfer date. Compliant operators in these areas generally monitor CFPB rules, orders, and guidelines as the authoritative source for their consumer financial protection obligations, rather than looking solely to HUD guidance predating the transfer. Staying current with CFPB rulemaking activity is a standard practice for operators whose business involves consumer financial products or services covered by the transferred authorities.
General guidance for property managers — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult an attorney for advice on your case.
Consumers, including renters navigating mortgage or settlement-related transactions, benefit from knowing that 12 U.S.C. § 5581 established the CFPB as the primary federal authority for enforcing and writing rules under many consumer financial protection laws. If a tenant or borrower believes a covered financial service provider has violated a federal consumer financial law, the CFPB's complaint portal is one avenue for raising concerns, alongside state consumer protection offices and tenant-rights organizations. Because the FTC also retained enforcement authority over certain covered persons under the FTC Act, individuals may find it useful to research which agency's jurisdiction applies to a particular type of financial product or service.
General guidance for tenants — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult a tenant-rights organization or attorney for advice on your case.
Generated September 13, 2026 — auto-generated, not yet human-reviewed. See /transparency for methodology.
Effective Timeline
References Out
No outbound references recorded yet for this provision.
References In
No inbound references recorded yet for this provision.