Civil Investigative Demand Reform Act of 2025
Summary
What This Bill Does
The Civil Investigative Demand Reform Act changes how the CFPB can use civil investigative demands before a formal proceeding begins. It amends the Consumer Financial Protection Act to require those demands to be issued no later than six years after the violation. It also requires the demand to identify the conduct under investigation with specific reference to particular facts, rather than using broad generic descriptions. Attorneys advising recipients may submit questions about the scope or breadth of the demand, and the Bureau must respond within 20 days or by the demand return date if that is sooner. The bill narrows CFPB investigative flexibility and gives recipients more notice, timing protection, and a formal way to challenge or clarify breadth early.
Who Benefits and How
Consumer finance companies benefit because stale or broadly framed CFPB demands become harder to issue and easier to contest. Small financial firms benefit from more specific factual notice before producing documents or testimony. Defense attorneys benefit because they gain a statutory channel for scope questions and a deadline for CFPB responses. Compliance officers benefit from clearer facts when deciding what records, custodians, and business practices are under review.
Who Bears the Burden and How
CFPB enforcement staff must screen civil investigative demands for the six-year limit and draft more fact-specific descriptions. CFPB attorneys must answer recipient questions about demand scope within the statutory deadline. Consumer protection investigators may lose leverage in older or broad-pattern investigations. Borrowers and consumers bear possible enforcement risk if the Bureau cannot investigate older misconduct through a civil investigative demand.
Key Provisions
- Limits pre-proceeding civil investigative demands to violations within six years.
- Requires CFPB demands to describe covered conduct with particular factual references.
- Creates a process for attorneys to ask questions about demand scope or breadth.
- Requires the Bureau to respond within 20 days or by the return date if earlier.
Evidence Chain:
This summary is generated from the full bill text using AI analysis. Expand "Detailed Analysis" below for identified beneficiaries/burden bearers with clause-level evidence links.
At a Glance
What This Bill Does
Limits Consumer Financial Protection Bureau civil investigative demands by adding a six-year timing limit, requiring fact-specific demand notices, and creating a Bureau response process for attorney questions about demand scope.
Key Policy Areas
Consumer Finance, Administrative Enforcement, Civil Procedure
Primary Purpose
Limits Consumer Financial Protection Bureau civil investigative demands by adding a six-year timing limit, requiring fact-specific demand notices, and creating a Bureau response process for attorney questions about demand scope.
Policy Domains
Resolution provisions
Identified Gains
- Consumer finance companies
- Small financial firms
- Defense attorneys
- Compliance officers
Identified Costs
- CFPB enforcement staff
- CFPB attorneys
- Consumer protection investigators
- Borrowers and consumers
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
In CommitteeMr. Barr (for himself, Mr. Vicente Gonzalez of Texas, and …
Referred to the House Committee on Financial Services.
Introduced in House
Stakeholder Effects
cui bono?How this legislation distributes effects. Mention counts reflect frequency, not effect magnitude.
CFPB enforcement staff, Consumer protection investigators
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
Learn more about our methodology