Last reviewed: 2 October 2026

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How to look up and read FTC and CFPB enforcement actions about a company

Two federal agencies publish searchable lists of their enforcement actions: the FTC's Legal Library, "Cases and Proceedings,"^[1] and the CFPB's "Enforcement actions" list.^[3] This page is a checklist for finding a company in them and reading what you find. A posted action is a government agency's record of something it filed or ordered; it is not this site's verdict, and a search that finds nothing does not prove a company has never been the subject of an action. State attorneys general are a separate source this page does not walk through. It names no company and is general information, not legal advice.

Step 1: write down the exact names to search

Use the company's full legal name as it appears on your contract, plus any other names it uses to sell. Our Standard (point 8) asks for a named company with a real address for the same reason: a search only works if you know what to type. See how to check a credit or debt company.

Step 2: search the FTC Legal Library

The FTC says it brings hundreds of cases every year against individuals and companies for violating the consumer protection and competition laws it enforces, and the Legal Library has detailed information about cases it has brought in federal court or through its internal administrative process, called an adjudicative proceeding.^[1] The search page lets you narrow results in these ways:^[1]

• Record type, including "Banned Debt and Mortgage Relief Providers," "Banned Debt Collectors," "Adjudicative Proceedings," and "Closing Letters."
• Consumer Protection Topics, including "Credit and Loans," "Debt," "Debt Collection," and, under privacy and security, "Credit Reporting."
• Type of action: federal administrative process or federal court, with a list of federal courts to choose from.
• Sort order and page size: newest or relevance, and 20, 50 or 100 items per page.

The FTC's separate press-release page can be searched by keyword and filtered by the same kinds of consumer-protection topics.^[2] A press release is the agency's own announcement of an action; our reading: the Legal Library entry is where the underlying documents are kept.

Step 3: search the CFPB enforcement actions list

The CFPB says that when it takes an enforcement action against an entity or person it believes has violated the law, it posts court documents and other related materials on this page.^[3] It may enforce by filing an action in federal district court or by starting an administrative adjudication proceeding; administrative proceedings are conducted by an Administrative Law Judge, who holds hearings and issues a recommended decision.^[3] The list can be filtered by:^[3]

• Keyword and date range.
• Category: "Administrative Proceeding" or "Civil Action."
• Status: "Expired/Terminated/Dismissed," "Pending Litigation," or "Post Order/Post Judgment."
• Product, including "Credit Repair," "Debt Collection," "Debt Relief," "Consumer Reporting Agencies" and "Auto Finance Servicing."

The CFPB page also links to definitions of enforcement-action terms; use them when a status or category is unfamiliar.^[3]

Step 4: read the entry, not just the headline

For each entry you find, write down five things from the agency's own page and documents:

1. Who filed and where: an agency order, an administrative proceeding, or a case in a named federal court.
2. The date: the CFPB list shows a "Date filed" for each entry.^[3]
3. The wording of the summary. CFPB summaries use different verbs, for example that the Bureau "filed a complaint and proposed consent order to resolve allegations," "filed a lawsuit," or "issued an order."^[3] Those describe different kinds of documents. Our reading, not the agency's: a filed complaint reports what the agency alleges, while an order or a court judgment is a different kind of record; read the document itself to see which one you have.
4. The status the agency lists (pending, post-order, or expired, terminated or dismissed).^[3]
5. Which company or person is named. An entry can name a parent, subsidiaries or individuals; match the names against your contract rather than assuming they are the same business.

Step 5: remember what a search cannot show

• Lists may lag. The CFPB list's newest entry may be older than recent events; check the date range. As of 2 October 2026, the newest entry on its first page was dated 21 August 2025.^[3] Use the date filter.
• Two agencies are two searches. A result on one list says nothing about the other. State attorneys general and state regulators are further sources; use your own state's websites for them.
• Not finding an entry is not a clean bill of health. Our reading: these lists cover only the matters these two agencies chose to bring and post.

How to verify this yourself

1. Open the FTC Legal Library, Cases and Proceedings,^[1] and search the company's names; repeat on the CFPB enforcement actions list.^[3]
2. Search the FTC press releases for the same names.^[2]
3. Open each document the agency posts and read it in full rather than a news summary of it.
4. Record the date you searched and what you searched for, so a later search can be compared.

What this page does not cover

It does not tell you whether any company is lawful or honest, how to read any particular settlement, or how to search state attorneys general or state regulators. It names no company. For complaints rather than enforcement, see the CFPB complaint database, explained; to report a problem, see where to file a complaint. Our Standard point 4 asks about FTC, state attorney general and self-regulatory enforcement history, and the Register reports dated checks against the Standard; this page shows how to run a similar check yourself, and the Register is not a substitute for it or a recommendation.

When we will update this page

We revisit it if the FTC or CFPB changes how these lists work. Sources last read 2 October 2026.