{"id":169,"date":"2026-05-08T07:11:30","date_gmt":"2026-05-08T05:11:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mypr.co.za\/journalists\/inside-the-cfpb-4-takeaways-from-our-open-data-demo-for-journalists\/"},"modified":"2026-05-08T07:11:30","modified_gmt":"2026-05-08T05:11:30","slug":"inside-the-cfpb-4-takeaways-from-our-open-data-demo-for-journalists","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mypr.co.za\/journalists\/inside-the-cfpb-4-takeaways-from-our-open-data-demo-for-journalists\/","title":{"rendered":"Inside the CFPB: 4 takeaways from our open data demo for journalists"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"sharing\">\n<div class=\"social-icons\">\n<div class=\"simplesocialbuttons simplesocial-round-icon simplesocialbuttons_inline simplesocialbuttons-align-right simplesocialbuttons-inline-no-animation\">\n<button class=\"simplesocial-fb-share\"  rel=\"nofollow\"  target=\"_blank\"  aria-label=\"Facebook Share\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer\/sharer.php?u=https:\/\/journalistsresource.org\/economics\/cfpb-4-takeaways\/\" onClick=\"javascript:window.open(this.dataset.href, '', 'menubar=no,toolbar=no,resizable=yes,scrollbars=yes,height=600,width=600');return false;\"><span class=\"simplesocialtxt\">Facebook <\/span> <\/button><br \/>\n<button class=\"simplesocial-twt-share\"  rel=\"nofollow\"  target=\"_blank\"  aria-label=\"Twitter Share\" data-href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=Inside+the+CFPB%3A+4+takeaways+from+our+open+data+demo+for+journalists&#038;url=https:\/\/journalistsresource.org\/economics\/cfpb-4-takeaways\/\" onClick=\"javascript:window.open(this.dataset.href, '', 'menubar=no,toolbar=no,resizable=yes,scrollbars=yes,height=600,width=600');return false;\"><span class=\"simplesocialtxt\">Twitter<\/span> <\/button><br \/>\n<button  rel=\"nofollow\"  target=\"_blank\"  class=\"simplesocial-linkedin-share\" aria-label=\"LinkedIn Share\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/sharing\/share-offsite\/?url=https:\/\/journalistsresource.org\/economics\/cfpb-4-takeaways\/\" onClick=\"javascript:window.open(this.dataset.href, '', 'menubar=no,toolbar=no,resizable=yes,scrollbars=yes,height=600,width=600');return false;\"><span class=\"simplesocialtxt\">LinkedIn<\/span><\/button><br \/>\n<button class=\"simplesocial-reddit-share\"  rel=\"nofollow\"  target=\"_blank\"  aria-label=\"Reddit Share\" data-href=\"https:\/\/reddit.com\/submit?url=https:\/\/journalistsresource.org\/economics\/cfpb-4-takeaways\/&#038;title=Inside+the+CFPB%3A+4+takeaways+from+our+open+data+demo+for+journalists\" onClick=\"javascript:window.open(this.dataset.href, '', 'menubar=no,toolbar=no,resizable=yes,scrollbars=yes,height=600,width=600');return false;\" ><span class=\"simplesocialtxt\">Reddit<\/span> <\/button><br \/>\n<button onClick=\"javascript:window.location.href = this.dataset.href;return false;\" class=\"simplesocial-email-share\" aria-label=\"Share through Email\"  rel=\"nofollow\"  target=\"_blank\"   data-href=\"mailto:?subject=Inside the CFPB%3A 4 takeaways from our open data demo for journalists&#038;body=https:\/\/journalistsresource.org\/economics\/cfpb-4-takeaways\/\"><span class=\"simplesocialtxt\">Email<\/span><\/button>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.federalregister.gov\/agencies\/consumer-financial-protection-bureau\">independent bureau<\/a> that is part of the Federal Reserve System. It was created in 2010 in the wake of the Great Recession to provide federal oversight of consumer financial products and services, in order to prevent another economic crisis.<\/p>\n<p>While the agency has been in turmoil under the second Trump administration, it remains a rich source of data, particularly on consumer complaints, for reporters covering personal finance and consumer issues.<\/p>\n<p>We recently convened a hands-on demo of CFPB data with <a href=\"https:\/\/law-and-economy.law.columbia.edu\/directory\/erie-meyer\">Erie Meyer<\/a>, who served as the CFPB\u2019s first chief technologist from 2021 to 2025, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.propublica.org\/people\/joel-jacobs\">Joel Jacobs<\/a>, a data reporter for ProPublica who has mined the consumer complaint database for stories.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCredit reporting complaints \u2014 people complaining about potential issues with their credit reports \u2014 have been exploding in recent years,\u201d Jacobs said. \u201cThey\u2019re really, by far, the most common complaint in the CFPB database.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-container uagb-block-cdde224e alignfull uagb-is-root-container\">\n<div class=\"uagb-container-inner-blocks-wrap\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"560\" height=\"450\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/3iAzVm4As9Q?si=z9cTzDa1Ir3A3whK\" title=\"YouTube video player\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>A brief recent history of the CFPB<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>The database is active and available, though most of the agency\u2019s supervisory activities, such as suing companies for illegal activities surfaced through complaints, have halted.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere is currently a stand-down order and <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/cfpb_tipline\">a way to report<\/a> staffers at the CFPB if they&#8217;re caught doing their jobs,\u201d Meyer said. \u201cSo the complaint system is working but the internal parts of the CFPB that are supposed to use the complaints are not working \u2014 and is one of the reasons why it\u2019s so important that states and other enforcers are using this data.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-right has-ast-global-color-4-background-color has-background\">This <a href=\"https:\/\/docs.google.com\/document\/d\/19XrNZ2WsLynN7ThDE-lq66d-EAPhhv_wU0rkiq3WS-c\/edit?tab=t.0\">cheat sheet<\/a> Meyer created will help you find the CFPB data you need.<\/p>\n<p>The CFPB is an <a href=\"https:\/\/uscode.house.gov\/view.xhtml?req=(title:12%20section:5491%20edition:prelim)\">executive branch agency<\/a>, and the president appoints its director, who must be confirmed by the Senate.<\/p>\n<p>Russell Vought, director of the Office of Management and Budget, has served as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pbs.org\/newshour\/politics\/trump-nominates-new-cfpb-director-though-white-house-says-agency-is-still-closing\">acting CFPB director<\/a> since February 2025. Prior to President Donald Trump&#8217;s second administration, Vought was best known as a primary author of the Heritage Foundation\u2019s Project 2025 document, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pbs.org\/newshour\/show\/how-much-of-project-2025-has-trump-enacted\">widely seen as a blueprint<\/a> for Trump to implement severe <a href=\"https:\/\/www.propublica.org\/article\/about-russell-vought-trump-shadow-president\">cuts to federal government agencies and services<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Last month, the Trump administration announced a plan to reduce headcount at the agency from 1,700 to 500. Ken Sweet of the Associated Press <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/cfpb-vought-banks-nteu-trump-consumer-protection-e0069de83b4518e7aaa83be6ec323777\">wrote<\/a> that the CFPB has \u201clargely become inoperable.\u201d Trump previously tried to reduce staff to 200, a move <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/trump-consumer-financial-protection-bureau-65c7953b6d79043fc2ac58b660c3847d\">blocked<\/a> by a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.courtlistener.com\/docket\/69624423\/national-treasury-employees-union-v-vought\/?filed_after=&amp;filed_before=&amp;entry_gte=&amp;entry_lte=&amp;order_by=desc\">federal judge last April<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>If you don\u2019t have time to watch the full webinar, keep reading for key takeaways, including insights about the consumer complaint database, spotting trends in the data and more.<\/p>\n<p>And here\u2019s a bonus tip: If you\u2019re hitting resistance from the press office, that doesn\u2019t mean every part of the agency is unhelpful. The staffers in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.consumerfinance.gov\/foia-requests\/\">CFPB Freedom of Information Act office<\/a>, for example, are dedicated and responsive, Meyer said.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>1. CFPB data remains trustworthy and contains rich narratives<\/strong>.<\/h3>\n<p>Despite the staffing upheaval at the CFPB, the agency\u2019s consumer complaint data is up and running. <\/p>\n<p>Those complaint records are not like the online rants of someone with an unverified grudge against a business. Companies confirm that the complainant was their customer before complaints are published, Meyer said.\u00a0The CFPB also <a href=\"https:\/\/www.consumerfinance.gov\/complaint\/process\/\">gets consent<\/a> from customers to publish their complaint narratives. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cCranky people \u2014 you would imagine you would have an equal distribution of those types of people in the complaint data \u2014 so it is a really interesting view of confirmed customers and what their experiences are with these financial products,\u201d Meyer said.<\/p>\n<p>To search the database, Meyer advises thinking of terms that non-journalists would use.<\/p>\n<p>For example, to identify complaints from people with lower incomes who might be having financial difficulties, search \u201cgroceries,\u201d \u201cbread,\u201d \u201cmilk\u201d or \u201cformula.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou&#8217;ll see people who are really struggling just to survive describe what their interactions are with the financial system, because they say, \u2018I was trying to buy milk, and all of my cards were turned off, and I couldn&#8217;t get a human on the phone to tell me why,\u2019\u201d Meyer said.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>2. Journalists can use CFPB data to find stories and hold financial institutions accountable<\/strong>.<\/h3>\n<p>If you have coding experience, Jacobs recommends downloading the complaint data in bulk and using languages like Python, R or SQL to explore it. In looking at the data over several years, Jacobs <a href=\"https:\/\/www.propublica.org\/article\/credit-report-mistakes-cfpb-experian-transunion\">identified<\/a> two major credit bureaus with a lower share of complaints resolved in favor of customers since the second Trump administration.<\/p>\n<p>But you don\u2019t have to have coding experience to find trends in the data, he said. The CFPB also provides a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.consumerfinance.gov\/data-research\/consumer-complaints\/search\/?chartType=line&amp;dateInterval=Month&amp;dateRange=3y&amp;date_received_max=2026-05-04&amp;date_received_min=2023-05-04&amp;lens=Product&amp;searchField=all&amp;subLens=sub_product&amp;tab=Trends\">dashboard<\/a> of aggregate information with graphics and other visualizations, which are \u201ca great way to do initial explorations,\u201d Jacobs said.<\/p>\n<p>The narrative elements of the complaint data are particularly unique and useful. In reporting a story about Tribal lenders <a href=\"https:\/\/www.propublica.org\/article\/tribal-lending-industry-federal-oversight\">charging triple-digit interest rates<\/a>, Jacobs used the narratives to identify how those rates were harming customers.<\/p>\n<p>He also noted that financial firms may use different company names for different financial products, or that consumer complaints in other databases might use slightly different spellings for the same company name \u2014 but within the CFPB data, the agency attempts to standardize company names.<\/p>\n<p>Standardization of company names \u201chelps a lot as you you\u2019re doing data explorations,\u201d Jacobs said. \u201cThis really helped us identify the big players, potential big players, in this in this space.\u201d<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>3. The CFPB data is great for anecdotes \u2014 but lawsuits are better for finding sources.<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>CFPB data is anonymized. Customer complaint narratives are descriptively rich, but you won\u2019t find sources through them. But bankruptcy cases and lawsuits over unresolved issues are great ways to find contact information for lawyers and, ultimately, their clients.<\/p>\n<p>Take the lead anecdote in Jacobs\u2019 story on credit bureaus dismissing consumer complaints \u2014 an accountant in Colorado beset by a lingering $240,000 student loan that wasn\u2019t hers.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cContacting attorneys is actually how I found her, because she ended up suing the credit bureaus because she couldn\u2019t get her issue fixed,\u201d Jacobs said.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>4. State-level enforcement is more important than ever for accountability journalism.<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>With CFPB enforcement drying up under the current administration, journalists should turn to states as another source of data and to understand local enforcement trends.<\/p>\n<p>These may include municipal consumer protection agencies and state attorney general offices. There are 176 federal and state agencies that handle consumer complaints in the U.S., according to a <a href=\"https:\/\/cdn.vanderbilt.edu\/vu-URL\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/412\/2025\/12\/15201553\/Complaints.gov_.pdf\">December 2025 analysis<\/a> from Meyer. Many of them, especially state attorneys general, still rely on CFPB data to identify illegal activities in their states.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTwenty-four different state attorneys general have sued the CFPB to have them keep this system operating, because they all rely on our complaint database for their enforcement,\u201d Meyer said.<\/p>\n<p><a id=\"_msocom_1\"><\/a><\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<p>The post <a href=\"https:\/\/journalistsresource.org\/economics\/cfpb-4-takeaways\/\">Inside the CFPB: 4 takeaways from our open data demo for journalists<\/a> appeared first on <a href=\"https:\/\/journalistsresource.org\">The Journalist&#039;s Resource<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>\n\t\tA project of Harvard Kennedy School&#8217;s Shorenstein Center, The Journalist\u2019s Resource curates, summarizes and contextualizes high-quality research on newsy public policy topics. Supported by generous grants from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, The National Institute for Health Care Management (NIHCM) Foundation, Lumina Foundation, and individual contributors.<\/p>\n<p>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/journalistsresource.org\/donate-journalists-resource\/\" target=\"_blank\">How to make a donation to The Journalist\u2019s Resource<\/a>.\n<\/p>\n<p>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/journalistsresource.org\/economics\/cfpb-4-takeaways\/\" target=\"_blank\">Link to Inside the CFPB: 4 takeaways from our open data demo for journalists<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Reddit Email The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is an independent bureau that is part of the Federal Reserve System. It was created in 2010 in the wake of the Great Recession to provide federal oversight of consumer financial products and services, in order to prevent another economic crisis. While the agency has &hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"Default","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[3],"class_list":["type-post","category-news","tag-journalist-resource","entry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mypr.co.za\/journalists\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/169","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mypr.co.za\/journalists\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mypr.co.za\/journalists\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mypr.co.za\/journalists\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mypr.co.za\/journalists\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=169"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/mypr.co.za\/journalists\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/169\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mypr.co.za\/journalists\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=169"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mypr.co.za\/journalists\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=169"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mypr.co.za\/journalists\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=169"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}