Financial Consumer Protection in the United States

Abstract

In the U.S., financial consumers include individuals and businesses purchasing any type of financial product. The protections afforded these individuals come from many directions, and reflect the variation in the products, the markets for the products, and the ways in which the products are distributed. The scope of financial products available to the U.S. consumer is large and includes, for example, savings accounts, mortgages, loans, credit accounts, insurance policies, real estate, stocks and bonds, and a variety of other securities. These products are distributed by companies in several sectors that are generally referred to as banking, insurance, and other financial services. While many of these are marketed directly to the consumer, many financial products are also distributed through employers.