WASHINGTON, D.C. –The U.S. Department of the Treasury today announced the launch of a ‘beta’ Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) website, ConsumerFinance.gov, a critical link to the American public for soliciting ideas on the bureau’s creation and priorities and for answering questions on its work.
“We have the opportunity to create a brand new consumer agency from the ground up. This agency will put a cop on the beat to enforce the laws on credit cards, mortgages, student loans, prepaid cards, and other kinds of consumer financial products and services,” said Elizabeth Warren, Assistant to the President and Special Advisor to the Secretary of the Treasury on the CFPB, in a new video available on the website. “We want to make sure that the American people are with us all the way while we build it.”
The central aim of the CFPB implementation team’s initial new media efforts will be engagement. The team will reach out to the American public for ideas, input, and feedback on the work already underway and on new initiatives commencing in the weeks and months ahead. In addition, the site will be a valuable tool in recruiting talent to join the staff of the CFPB.
The CFPB ‘beta’ website currently has the following features available online:
Open for Suggestions. The CFPB implementation team wants to hear from consumers, businesses, and anyone who is interested in making consumer financial services markets work better for everyone. One component of the CFPB ‘beta’ website is an application for communicating directly with the American people: “Open for Suggestions.” This feature encourages communication directly with the CFPB implementation team through YouTube video questions, but suggestions can also be accepted through e-mail and other forms of online communication. This feature is just one expression of a larger idea: the CFPB implementation team is listening. The CFPB’s priorities will be responsive to the public the consumer bureau serves. Comments from the public will help the CFPB implementation team understand what consumers and financial services providers need and will inform the work of the bureau.
Interactive Display of Prof. Elizabeth Warren’s Daily Calendar. One of the items most frequently-requested by the public is Prof. Elizabeth Warren’s calendar. The CFPB implementation team has put her calendar online in an interactive, clickable format. Users can explore who Warren is meeting with and hearing from through the online tool, or they can download the iCal feed, subscribe via RSS, or view the calendar as a FOIA-compliant PDF file.
About the Bureau. This section includes an animated video describing the origins of the financial crisis and what the consumer bureau will do to protect American families and improve financial services markets for consumers and providers alike—and ultimately strengthen the entire economy. The video is narrated by director, actor, and producer Ron Howard.
Social Media. Individuals can follow CFPB on several social media sites:
• Facebook: http://facebook.com/cfpb
• Twitter: http://twitter.com/cfpb
• YouTube: http://youtube.com/cfpb
• Flickr: http://flickr.com/cfpbphotos
Additional resources available now include selected financial education materials provided by other government agencies and a tool for determining the agency with current authority for overseeing different providers of financial products and services so that consumers can find help with their financial problems with the responsible agency while the CFPB is getting underway.
Official news published at https://www.consumerfinance.gov/about-us/newsroom/treasury-department-announces-launch-of-beta-consumer-financial-protection-bureau-website/
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