The CFPB Brings an Early End to Its Plans For Long-Term Oversight of Apple, U.S. Bank

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has stopped its plans to monitor Apple and U.S. Bank years ahead of schedule, according to a Reuters report that cites recent court records.

The bureau’s decision to end oversight of the companies signals to credit card issuers that the CFPB may have a more lenient regulatory approach toward card programs under President Donald Trump’s administration than it did under his predecessor’s.

In late 2023, the CFPB found that U.S. Bank didn’t comply with consumer protection laws when its actions prevented some people from accessing unemployment insurance benefits.

And Apple drew the ire of the CFPB last year over its card program. The bureau claimed that the tech giant had not adhered to the Consumer Financial Protection Act of 2010 when Apple didn’t send transaction disputes along to its credit card partner, Goldman Sachs.

The CFPB also found that Apple hadn’t been transparent with cardholders about whether certain transactions were subject to interest, according to the Reuters report.

Many people may not think of Apple as an entity that the CFPB keeps tabs on. But as the company ventures further into the financial arena, offering credit products such as the Apple Card, it may need to adhere to many of the rules and regulations financial institutions comply with.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau imposed hefty fines on Apple and U.S. Bank: Apple was hit with a $25 million civil penalty, while U.S. Bank faced a $15 million penalty.

The bureau recently reported confirmed that Apple and U.S. Bank have paid their monetary penalties. Each company had also been slated for five years of CFPB monitoring, but the bureau later dropped those requirements, Reuters reported.

In 2025, the CFPB has increasingly abandoned plans to enforce its prior decisions.

Over the summer, for example, the agency cancelled a $95 million fine against Navy Federal Credit Union, which had been accused of charging illegal overdraft fees.

Recent moves by the CFPB may come as a relief to credit card issuers that often face intense regulatory scrutiny.

Issuers typically devote substantial resources to ensuring their products and services meet compliance standards. With regulatory pressure easing, they may have some flexibility to scale back those efforts.

Still, a new presidential administration could quickly change the regulatory landscape. Issuers should be cautious about making long-term compliance adjustments that could be difficult to reverse in a few years.