# 2025-00633: Government Bans Banks From Silencing Customers Who Complain Online 2025-00633, Prohibited Terms and Conditions in Agreements for Consumer Financial Products or Services (Regulation AA), is a Federal Register proposed rule from an unnamed agency published 2025-01-14, effective Comments must be received on or before April 1, 2025.; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-06-11). - Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2025-00633 - As of: 2026-06-11 - Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts. ## Facts - Document number: 2025-00633 - Title: Prohibited Terms and Conditions in Agreements for Consumer Financial Products or Services (Regulation AA) - Type: Proposed Rule - Agencies: unknown - Citation: unknown - Published: 2025-01-14 - Effective: Comments must be received on or before April 1, 2025. - Comments close: not stated - Significant: no - Touches household money: yes - Regulation identifier numbers: none - Last updated: 2026-06-11 ## In one line Government Bans Banks From Silencing Customers Who Complain Online ## Summary The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau wants to stop companies from sneaky contract tricks that take away your legal rights or punish you for speaking up. This rule affects anyone offering consumer financial products, like loans or credit cards, and aims to keep contracts fair and clear. You’ve got until April 1, 2025, to share your thoughts before these changes could save you money and hassle down the road! ## Abstract The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) is proposing to prohibit certain contractual provisions in agreements for consumer financial products or services. The proposal would prohibit covered persons from including in their contracts any provisions purporting to waive substantive consumer legal rights and protections (or their remedies) granted by State or Federal law. The proposal would also prohibit contract terms that limit free expression, including with threats of account closure, fines, or breach of contract claims, as well as other contract terms. The proposal would also codify certain longstanding prohibitions under the Federal Trade Commission's (FTC) Credit Practices Rule. ## Effects PRIA read - Ban on Confessions and Harsh Remedies: benefit, high. The rule would re-codify the FTC Credit Practices Rule and bar certain creditor remedies in consumer credit contracts. Specifically, lenders could not use confessions of judgment (cognovits), waivers of exemption, assignments of wages, security interests in household goods, misrepresent cosigner li… - No Waiving Your Legal Rights: benefit, high. Covered providers would be banned from including contract terms that ask you to waive substantive legal rights or remedies given by Federal or State law. The CFPB proposes that contracts may not purport to waive statutory protections or the remedies those laws provide. - Limits on Gag Clauses and Speech Rules: benefit, medium. The proposal would forbid contract clauses that restrain lawful free expression, including terms that limit negative reviews, certain political speech, or that threaten account closure, fines, or breach-of-contract claims to silence consumers. Companies could not use such terms in agreements for co… - Blocks Unilateral Contract Changes: benefit, medium. The CFPB would prohibit terms that give a company the unilateral right to amend a material contract term without notice and consumer consent. Contracts could not reserve to the covered person the power to change core terms on its own. - Who the Rule Covers: benefit, low. The proposed rule would apply to 'covered persons' that offer or provide consumer financial products or services and their affiliates acting as service providers. Covered products include credit, leases, real estate settlement services, deposits, payment processing, and credit reporting. Subpart B… - Small Entities Exempted from Some Rules: benefit, low. Section 1027.102(b) would exempt 'small business,' 'small organization,' and 'small governmental jurisdiction' (as defined in 5 U.S.C. 601 and SBA rules) from subpart C. That means the prohibitions on waiving law, unilateral amendments, and restraints on free expression would not apply to those sma… - State AGs Get New Enforcement Power: benefit, medium. If finalized, the rule would give State attorneys general new authority to enforce the Credit Practices Rule and the additional prohibitions against national banks under section 1042(a) of the CFPA. The CFPA allows civil money penalties of up to $5,000 per violation per day, $25,000 per violation p… ## Related documents - [2026-20735](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-20735): Extensions of Credit to Insiders, 2026-10-09 - [2026-20790](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-20790): Application of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 to the Refunded Portion of Certain Federal Refun…, 2026-10-09 - [2026-20721](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-20721): Requirements for Additional Traceability Records for Certain Foods: Enforcement Policy for Certain Retail Food Establishments and Restauran…, 2026-10-09 - [2026-20650](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-20650): Low-Value Shipments, 2026-10-08 - [2026-20660](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-20660): Optional Practical Training Fees, 2026-10-08 - [2026-20677](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-20677): Airworthiness Directives; Various Helicopters, 2026-10-08 ## Sources - [2025-00633 on federalregister.gov](https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2025/01/14/2025-00633/prohibited-terms-and-conditions-in-agreements-for-consumer-financial-products-or-services-regulation) - [2025-00633 as published (PDF)](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2025-01-14/pdf/2025-00633.pdf) ## Related - [Previous: 2025-00588, Airworthiness Directives; Siam Hiller Holdings, Inc, Helicopters](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2025-00588) - [Next: 2024-29641, Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Designation of Critical Habitat…](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2024-29641) - [All Federal Register documents](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register) Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2025-00633 (as of 2026-06-11).