Serving the public through data transparency and access

Data Transparency

At the CFPB, we leverage the full potential of data to meet our mission. This means proactively and securely acquiring, analyzing, and publishing high quality data and research to keep pace with statutory mandates and an evolving data-driven economy. Data is a fundamental driver of our mission to ensure that people have access to fair, transparent, and competitive markets for consumer financial products and services. The CFPB is committed to improving transparency and accessibility by providing the public with timely and reliable data that will enable them to make informed decisions.

Pursuant to the OPEN Government Data Act, the CFPB also maintains a Public Data Inventory, a centralized location where the public can readily access CFPB data and information, browse the FOIA Reading Room, and contact the Office of the Chief Data Officer (OCDO) with data related questions and comments. In addition, the CFPB has identified its high priority data assets and made them available in OPEN format within the Federal Data Catalogue. In addition, the CFPB released a report in 2018, Sources and Uses of Data at the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection (Data Report) that described the CFPB’s data governance program, as well as data the CFPB collects, where it comes from, and how it’s used within the CFPB.

View the Public Data Inventory

Browse the Federal Data Catalogue

Read the Data Report

Read about the OPEN Government Data Act

Read the CFPB’s Information Resources Management Plan, which includes the CFPB’s Open Data Plan

Chief Data Officer

The CFPB's Chief Data Officer (CDO) is Ren Essene. She has over 30 years of public service experience at the intersection of data, consumer protection, and community development.

Office of the Chief Data Officer

The OCDO leads the CFPB’s Enterprise Data Strategy and is responsible for developing policies and guidance to facilitate compliance and effectively manage the use, sharing, and protection of CFPB data assets across the data lifecycle. The OCDO also leads the CFPB’s implementation of the statutory requirements of the Foundations for Evidence-Based Policymaking Act (Evidence Act) and efforts related to the Federal Data Strategy to facilitate data-driven decision-making and ensure that the data needs of the CFPB are met.

Read about the Evidence Act

Read about the Federal Data Strategy

Data Governance

The CFPB has centralized processes for managing data across the lifecycle, supported by its three data governance bodies. The DGB is responsible for assessing the benefits and risks associated with the management of the CFPB’s data assets, reviewing and offering guidance on data policies, and improving information governance standards. The DGB meets monthly and is chaired by the CDO and comprised of senior staff from across the CFPB.

To streamline data intake and release request processes, the CFPB established the Data Intake Group (DIG) and Data Release Group (DRG). The DIG and DRG help centralize the review process and ensure compliance with relevant laws, regulations, and CFPB policies before data is brought into the CFPB or released to the public. This governance structure is managed by the OCDO and serves as the foundation for making CFPB data assets more readily available and accessible to the public.

Read the DGB charter

Enterprise Data Strategy

The Enterprise Data Strategy builds on the CFPB’s strong data governance structure and is informed by the need for an agile approach to the work, innovative data management, the upskilling of staff, and robust knowledge management capture. The strategy supports the execution of the CFPB’s Strategic Plan and provides a shared agenda for the CFPB to leverage the full potential of data to achieve our mission.