consumer financial protection agency

Regulators might ban origination fees that vary with the size of the loan, known as "origination points." They also might limit the use of "discount points" that are supposed to result in lower interest rates.

The Obama administration's consumer financial watchdog agency is backing off a plan to limit big upfront fees on credit cards. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau acknowledged Thursday that its proposal would increase costs for cardholders and allow banks to charge more in fees.

Winthrop Brown, a Washington lawyer who lobbies on behalf of financial services firms, says the new regulations should get "a pretty good grade" from Wall Street -- and from Main Street. But will they prevent another economic meltdown?

The effects of the Dodd-Frank financial regulation reform bill will clearly be sweeping, even if not all quite predictable. At this early point, here's a rundown of some of the biggest likely winners from the now-passed legislation.

While the overhaul does force banks to spin off some risky businesses and creates a sort-of consumer protection agency, its compromises miss most of the financial crisis' major causes. That means it fails to live up to its primary promise.

The massive regulatory revision touches almost every aspect of the financial industry. In addition to rules aimed at trimming risk-taking among banks, the package prominently includes several new protections for consumers.

The "plastic" Heidi Montag's got in her sights is actually credit cards, in case you were scratching your head in puzzlement at the prospect of the reality TV and tabloid fixture denouncing plastic surgery. The star of MTV's The Hills and (in)famous cosmetic surgery devotee made a spoof video for...

Consumer advocates had hoped that auto dealers would be included in pending legislation to create a new consumer watchdog agency. But a grassroots effort pushed by dealers and their leading trading group, the National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA), resulted in members of the House Financial...