Consumer Protections on Wall Street

You should be able to save, invest and generally manage your money without fear of being trapped, tricked or ripped off by the institutions you are trusting with your financial future.

It's not just about any one individual being protected in the financial marketplace. The fact is, without clear rules and accountability, financial markets don’t work the way they should. Hundreds of thousands of people can get ripped off, unhealthy risk-taking by big banks can become the norm, and the stability of the whole market can be put in jeopardy. And the 2008 economic collapse made it clear just how big of an impact those conditions can have on our lives, and financial security.

That’s why U.S. PIRG is working toward a system that provides basic fairness to all financial consumers, offers a more level playing field for all financial players, holds any institution that breaks the law accountable, and ensures strong protections for the most vulnerable consumers.

Our Priorities

	Defend the Consumer Bureau The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is our watchdog on Wall Street, but now some in Washington are trying to weaken or eliminate the Consumer Bureau. Stand with us and make sure we keep our consumer cop on the financial beat.
	Keep Retirement Advisors in Check Right now, retirement advisers can push their clients toward investments with higher fees or lower returns, just because the adviser might get a bigger payout from it. We’re working to require retirement advisers to act in their clients’ best interests.
	Stop Predatory Payday Lending Sky-high interest rates and fees on payday loans can send borrowers into a debt trap. It's time to bring an end to the payday loan industry's unfair and abusive practices, and stop the debt trap once and for all.
	Protecting Student Borrowers It's hard enough for many borrowers to simply pay off their student loans — they shouldn't also have to worry about their loan servicer making it more difficult and expensive for them to do that. We're working to hold those lenders accountable.